The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mike Igini, on Thursday said some unscrupulous information technologists were misinforming politicians on the use of the card reader in the forthcoming general elections.
Igini told journalists in Benin that the commission got “intelligent information” that some politicians were collaborating with Information and Communication Technology experts to hack into the commission’s system and sabotage the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the elections.
He expressed disappointment that such persons would use their expertise to promote electoral malpractice rather than contribute to the development of the nation’s electoral process.
Igini said, “Many ICT 419, so-called professionals, who should use their knowledge of ICT for the good of our country, are currently on the loose, telling politicians how they will break into INEC system through some unworkable and very dubious ICT solutions that they are selling to them.
“These educated ICT dubious solution providers are the ones also behind the wicked misinformation that the card reader will not work and that politicians’ electoral fate would be better off if we revert to the old ways.
“Frankly, l’m amazed at the extent to which a few educated called so-called ICT professionals could go to sabotage a collective national efforts under INEC through the use of PVC and card readers to give meaning and purpose to the ballot system in a democracy.”
The REC also decried the allegation that some person were persuading traders at the New Benin market, in the state capital, to sell their Permanent Voter Cards in exchange for money.
While noting that some of the perpetrators had been arrested by the police, Igini warned that anyone proven to have been engaged in such an act would be made to face the consequences.
He said, “Yes, l received actionable intelligent information from some individuals that at the New Benin Market, some unscrupulous individuals were collecting PVCs from market women in exchange for money after making photocopy of these PVCs.
“The police acted swiftly; that led to their arrests and they are now undergoing interrogation. It’s unfortunate that this is the kind of information we receive daily across the country, of either act of ware-housing of PVC, people allegedly denied of their PVC on the grounds of being non-indigenes, perceived political persuasion, snatching of PVC, selling or buying of PVC and so on.
“For these group of people arrested, there will be consequences after the on-going interrogation and allegation found to be true.
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