Tony Okafor, Awka
No fewer than 88 professors and other experts with not less than PhD degrees allegedly participated in the rigging of the 2023 general elections.
A civil rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) stated this on Sunday in a statement titled ‘special report’ made available to our correspondent in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
The statement was authored by the board of trustees chairman of the group, Emeka Umeagbalasi and three supporting staff members( lawyers) of the organisation, Chidinma Udegbunam,
Ositadinma Agu and Ndidiamaka Chinaza Bernard.
The group who gave the comprehensive names and addresses of the culpable professors and others( withheld) said apart from the 88 professors, other experts with PhD degrees, top security gurus were engaged for the purposes of pervert the polls.
The civil society group said its findings about the people from the ivory tower who participated in various forms of electoral malpractices during the polls were a product of a painstaking investigation by the Intersociety.
The group said, “The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has investigated and found that 50 top Nigerian university professors played various conspiratorial or vicarious roles in the brutal poll rigging and voter suppression in the 25th Feb Presidential/National Assembly and the 18th March 2023 Governorship/State Assembly Polls.
“Among the 50 university professors conspiratorially or vicariously involved are 34 Vice Chancellors and a Deputy Vice Chancellor drawn from Federal, State and Private Universities across the country.
“Apart from the 50 culpably or conspiratorially involved Nigerian university professors, there are also 34 others involved; including ten doctorate degree holders and other former top military, police and spy police officers and former ministers and ,government commissioners.
The group added, “There are also 17 university professors among the 37 INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioners and 12 National Commissioners widely or publicly accused of coordinating the 2023 armada of electoral fraud.
“Generally speaking, a total of 88 university professors and other experts are found to be conspiratorially or vicariously involved out of the numbers, only four are exempted and worthy to be celebrated as heroes of democracy in Nigeria or any part thereof.
“Exempted from the culpability list are Vice-Chancellors of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Prof Charles Esimone, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Prof Nnenna Otti, Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe and Resident Electoral Commissioner for Abia State, Prof Ike Uzochukwu.
“VC Esimone of UNIZIK was exempted on account of his doggedness and refusal to compromise the results of the Presidential Poll in Imo State where he served as the ‘State Collation Officer’. His refusal to compromise also pitched him against the State Government and Commissioner of Police.
“VC Nnenna Otti of FUTO, Owerri was outstanding in her handling of the Abia State Governorship Election of 18th March 2023 where she served as ‘Collation Officer’. Even at the risk of her life and liberty, she remained adamant for truth and in the end, her resilience and resistance triumphed.
“VC Maduebibisi Iwe of Umudike Agric University was exempted for being resolute and refusing to compromise the Nkanu East doctored results in the Enugu State Governorship of 18th March 2023 where he served as “Collation Officer”. Intersociety also gathered that the erudite and courageous VC held his ground at INEC Headquarters during the “review” and back in Enugu; he still held his ground until the results were corruptly announced against his will.
” REC Prof Ike Uzochukwu as Abia REC is singled out for exemption on account of his courage and refusal to compromise the results of the State’s Senatorial and House of Reps poll leading to ‘his executive captivity’ until after the announcement of the results at gunpoint using an INEC Admin official. Abia REC’s ‘executive abduction’ was blamed on the on the Abia State Police Command and the State DSS Directorate. On regaining his liberty, Abia REC Prof Uzochukwu addressed the media and disclosed that “some candidates announced as winners were not the real winners of the poll”.
“The culpable election manipulators supervised and executed the unlawful acts such as coordination of election rigging or voter suppression and facilitation or supervision of the destruction of evidence-to cover up the unlawful acts.
Intersociety opined that the rigger-professors and experts involved deserved nothing less than international visa bans and international movement and exchange programmes’ restrictions in Europe, North and South America and democratic South-East Asian countries.
The group said,”The road to the current messy situation at INEC became well noticed following the flooding of the INEC’s list of Electoral Commissioners (14 new RECs and 5 reappointed others) with APC apologists and integrity challenged others.
“The Buhari/Osinbajo presidency had on 26th July 2022 forwarded the list to the Senate for confirmation. Critics and activists raised serious concerns over the inclusion of such integrity challenged persons as RECs in brazen violation of paragraph 14 (2a) of the Third Schedule to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and Section 2 (3) of the INEC Establishment Act of 2004.
“Criticism against them and others was part of the findings by some Civil Society Organizations ‘working for the promotion of Democracy in Nigeria’ as contained in their recent press conference addressed by the Director of Int’l Press Centre, Mr. Lanre Arogundade. The CSOs critic include: Yiaga Africa, the Kukah Centre, Int’l Press Center, Centre for Media and Society, the Albino Foundation, Elect Her, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Partners for Electoral Reforms and Inclusive Friends Association.”
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