Group Urges INEC To Probe Alleged Leak Of Sensitive Electoral Documents In South-East

The Pan-Igbo Youth Assembly (PIYA) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to institute an independent investigation into allegations that a commission official leaked sensitive electoral documents and confidential information to politicians and opposition parties in the South-East.

The group said the alleged disclosure of confidential electoral information raised concerns about the impartiality of the electoral umpire and the integrity of the electoral process in the region.

Spokesperson for PIYA, Comrade Noble Nkem Regius, made the call during a press conference on Monday in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Regius said an INEC official from the South-East zone had allegedly leaked sensitive commission documents and confidential electoral information to politicians and opposition parties, urging the commission to establish the facts and identify those involved.

He said allegations of partisan interests involving electoral officials required immediate institutional action, adding that the security of electoral information was fundamental to credible elections.

The group maintained that the South-East was entitled to a political future determined through free, fair and credible elections, warning that no national commissioner should substitute personal political preferences for the democratic choices of the people.

“We also demand that INEC establish an independent process to investigate the alleged leakage of sensitive electoral documents and information, identify every individual involved, establish the extent of any unauthorised disclosure and make its findings public,” Regius said.

He also called on the commission to provide explanations regarding alleged electoral consultancy arrangements involving a national commissioner and anti-APC politicians in Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi states.

“These questions cannot be answered through media hysteria by rented defenders or political associates. They require institutional investigation and accountability,” he said.

PIYA further called on the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Council of State, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious leaders and other stakeholders to prevail on INEC to act in the interest of electoral credibility.

The group urged the National Assembly to exercise its oversight responsibilities and ensure that allegations capable of undermining confidence in electoral administration received the attention they deserved.

“The South-East must not be made to bear the consequences of a crisis of confidence that INEC has the institutional capacity to prevent,” Regius said.

The group also urged INEC to uphold neutrality, transparency and accountability, insisting that no individual was above the institution they served.

It warned that no national commissioner should be allowed to become a source of political controversy in a region where public confidence in electoral administration was critical.

The allegations against the unnamed INEC official and the reported consultancy arrangements were not independently established in the statement, and the group called for an investigation to determine the facts.