A group of ethnic youth leaders in the country has alleged that some senators are plotting to ensure the removal of the chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The group, under the aegis of the Nigerian Ethnic Youth Leaders Council (NEYLC), has, however, warned against the move.
Recent news stories have said that some politicians are working against Yakubu because INEC wants to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the general elections next year.
As part of the plan, the politicians were said to be planning to instigate the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence, which could lead to Yakubu’s suspension or removal.
According to a change to the Constitution from 1999, the president can only fire the head of INEC if the senate recommends it.
The president will have to rely on the nod of two-thirds of members of the Senate, the nation’s highest law-making body, to discipline the INEC chairman.
But the NEYLC, which is made up of the Arewa Consultative Youths Movement (ACYM), Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Movement, Oduduwa Youths and Middle Belt Youths, made their position known in a statement by the Ohanaeze Youth Movement Secretary-General and Head of Coalition’s secretariat, Nwada Ike amaka.
According to the group, the plan to use the Senate to shake Yakubu so that he would abandon the use of BVAS could lead to an electoral crisis.
So, it asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the removal of the INEC head so that they don’t cut short the democracy in the country while he is in charge.
The statement read, “Credible information is available to us through our usual genuine sources that some senators are already plotting to ensure the removal of the INEC chairman through the back door.
“We are crying out loud to President Buhari to call all the people involved to order so that they don’t cause an unnecessary electoral crisis for the country.
“Let it be known that the majority of Nigerians are satisfied with the use of BVAS for elections and no amount of pressure from these self-centred politicians will make INEC change its position on it.
“We are also sounding a note of warning to them to stop distracting Prof Yakubu but rather allow him to concentrate on his onerous task of delivering credible elections for the country in 2023.
“If they don’t stop, we won’t be afraid to name the senators who have been bought off to fight against the INEC chairman.”
