…Advocate says any attempt to alter the voters’ roll will trigger legal action and public scrutiny
The integrity of an election starts with the voters’ register. Tampering with it undermines democracy itself, Comrade James Onifade said on Thursday.
Onifade, an advocate for good governance and a better judicial system, was responding to an alarm raised by the Osun State Chapter of the Accord over an alleged plot by the APC to direct the Resident Electoral Commissioner to selectively delete Accord members from the register and disguise the move as a technical glitch. He described the alleged plan as subversion, not politics.
Here’s why it will fail:
1. Osun voters are watching
From 2018 to 2022, Osun showed the country what voter vigilance looks like. Any attempt to alter the register will trigger immediate scrutiny, petitions, and legal action.
2. INEC has too much to lose
The Commission is legally bound to maintain a clean register. Any official who collaborates in partisan deletion risks prosecution and permanent damage to their career and the institution.
3. The law is clear
Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2022 makes unlawful deletion or alteration of the voters’ register a criminal offense. Disenfranchisement is not a campaign tactic. It’s a crime.
The reported plan to remove 75 Accord members and 25 APC members per polling unit is desperation, not strategy. Osun is not a fiefdom. Voters cannot be scared into submission, and they cannot be deleted into defeat.
A direct warning to the Osun REC
Osun REC, the eyes of Osun people and the nation are on you ahead of August 15. Do not allow INEC’s name to be used for any plot to compromise the voters’ register. Any attempt to delete or alter names under pressure from political actors is illegal and will attract personal and institutional consequences.
Your duty is to protect the integrity of the register, not to serve partisan desperation. Uphold your oath, maintain the independence of the Commission, and protect the good image and reputation INEC has built through credible engagements in Osun. History is watching.
Our demands:
1. INEC Osun: Publish an audit trail of all register changes before August 15 and allow party agents and observers to verify.
2. Security agencies: Stop any use of office to intimidate voters or interfere with the process.
3. Osun voters: Check your registration status now via INEC’s official channels. Report irregularities immediately.
Democracy in Osun will not be sacrificed for partisan desperation. The people have defended their mandate before, and they will do it again.
Osun belongs to its people. On August 15, that will be confirmed at the ballot box.
Signed: Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and A Better Judicial System
