Again, PDP calls for removal of Imo REC, Prof Agu

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP has made fresh called for the sack of Imo REC, Prof Sylvia Agu, accusing her of open compromise.

According to PDP, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) would be used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the next governorship elections in the states of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi.

PDP’s national publicity secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba made this call during a news conference on Sunday in Abuja.

Additionally, it asked that Prof. Sylvia Agu, the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State, be replaced in order to prevent a repeat of the electoral upheaval experienced in Adamawa State during the most recent governorship election.

“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal will both be fully utilized by INEC for the uploading and electronic transmission of results for the November 11, 2023 governorship elections in the states of Imo, Bayelsa”, and Kogi, the PDP added.

“The PDP has examined the following problems about the conduct of the elections on November 11, 2023 in the three States:

The PDP takes note of the INEC Chairman’s confirmation that the use of BVAS and IREV in this election, as well as in past elections, is a required statutory provision of the law.

“The PDP believes that INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is fully accountable for his statements and is required by law to use these technology to send election results straight from the polling places.

“The PDP is fully prepared for these elections and in line with INEC’s commitment, will not accept any other means of transmitting results in these elections except as this manner pronounced by the INEC Chairman in line with requirement of Electoral Act, 2022.”

In response to the demand that the Imo State REC be fired, he stated, “The PDP demands the immediate dismissal of the (alledgedly) blatantly compromised Imo State INEC REC, Prof. Sylvia Agu, for the nth time.

“Several letters to INEC were sent by the PDP and other political parties. Recently, political groups including the PDP, LP, YPP, ADC, and AA demanded her immediate dismissal in a peaceful demonstration at INEC.

The Bayelsa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Obo Effanga insisted earlier on Sunday that voting unit results for the Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo governorship elections will be uploaded on the IReV.

“The IReV has established itself, much like the BVAS has. In 2020, INEC employed IReV for the first time. It is the platform for viewing INEC results. It is an online platform where images of polling unit results are uploaded. In an interview with Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, he stated that INEC has been doing it since 2020 and will keep doing that.