APC alleges plot to postpone February polls

The All Progressives Congress(APC) has described the recent report by the Department of State Security (DSS) that it planned to hack into the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of plans by the Federal Government to postpone next month’s general elections.

Speaking at a press conference in La­gos yesterday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the allegation that his party planned to hack into the electoral body’s voters’ registration database was false. He said the allegation showed that the security agency does not understand the concept of hacking.

Mohammed said the APC is not aware that the electoral body has made any complaint of anybody or group trying to hack into its system.

Besides, he said that it was impossible for the opposition party to hack into the INEC database because it (the database) is not online.

According to him, “the DSS ‘find­ings’ are baseless as INEC’S database is a reflection of the registered with the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Please note that at the time of the DSS’ raids, the PVCs had already been printed. Therefore, of what value would it be to hack into the system and input more names?

“We will like to tell all Nigerians that the crap called ‘findings’ is part of the ongoing efforts by the Jonathan adminis­tration to postpone next month’s general elections. Having seen the handwriting on the wall, vis-à-vis the growing rejection of the PDP by Nigerians, the Jonathan ad­ministration has gone into a panic mode, while embarking on a plan to postpone the elections.

“Apparently, the thinking at the DSS, which is working in cahoots with the PDP, is that its report that the APC plans to hack into the voters’ registration database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will raise doubts about the integrity of the voters’ register to be used for the forthcoming polls, and subsequently force a postpone­ment of the elections since the existing register cannot be used for the polls.

“Unfortunately for DSS and the PDP, this thinking was based on a wrong prem­ise,… and it has backfired. Before you say our claim is outlandish, remember that some prominent Nigerians have publicly called for the postponement of the elec­tion – which can only benefit the Jonathan administration and delay its impending waterloo at the polls. Place the calls side-by-side with the apparently doctored outcome of the DSS investigations and the timing of the report’s release, and you will understand where they are coming from.”

Mohammed explained that the motive for the raid of APC data offices by the DSS is to give the impression that the vot­ers’ register has been corrupted, hence, it cannot be used for next month’s poll.

He added: “It is no coincidence that the DSS raided the APC Data Centre on November 22, 2014, exactly one week before the start of the PVC distribution exercise on November 28, 2014.

“The reason the DSS came to vandal­ise our data centre is because the service is working hand-in-hand with the PDP. They carried out the raids to know our party’s strength, in terms of membership. Please note that after the raids, many of our registered members could not find their names on the list when they went to collect their PVCs. This is not a mere coincidence.”

Speaking on the alleged multiple registration of APC members, the party’s spokesman stated: “After the first visit of the DSS, it was clear to all Nigerians that the service’s claim that we were cloning PVCs could not be sustained. That ex­plains why they could not display a single cloned PVC. During the second raid carried out by the DSS on the same APC Data Centre, the security personnel carted away bags with unused membership registration forms. These are the forms to which they have fraudulently attached pictures of babies and military personnel in order to implicate the APC.

“Or what on earth was the purpose of the DSS carting away blank APC membership registration forms? Why did it take the DSS almost 50 days to reveal this information? If it were true, won’t they have released the information to the general public immediately? Has the DSS hired any renowned IT organisation to attest to its ‘findings’? Can you be an ac­cuser and a judge at the same time?”

Also, Mohammed faulted claims by the security agency that it had completed plans to allegedly register armed forces and paramilitary personnel, noting: “This is a no-brainer! The question to ask the DSS is: Will any member of the armed forces and paramilitary organisations be so daft as to join a political party using a passport photograph of himself or herself in uniform? The DSS must think Nigeri­ans are fools.”