Politics
June 12: MOSOP Tasks Buhari On National Reconciliation
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to use the June 12 platform to promote national reconciliation amongst the various ethnic groups and people of the country.
MOSOP President, Legborsi Pyagbara, who made the call in a statement expressed concerns that Nigeria was far more divided today than it was in 1993, when the June 12 general poll was annulled.
The statement which was signed by the Publicity Secretary of MOSOP, Sunny Zorvah and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt however lauded the President signing the June 12 bill into Law.
The statement reads, “Whilst MOSOP commends President Mohammadu Buhari for honouring June 12 by signing the June 12 bill into law, thereby legitimising the celebration of June 12 as ‘Democracy Day’ in Nigeria, we urge the President to lead by example, in using the June 12 platform to promote national reconciliation and healing amongst the disparate ethnic groups and individuals across the country.
“No other day or event in our chequered history better suits that purpose than this period of June 12, when you remember that during the June 12 Presidential Elections in 1993, Nigerians of all tongues and tribes, religions and ideologies dropped their various identities and for the first time, spoke in one voice and voted a candidate, devoid of sentiments.
“It was a watershed in the construction of national unity and Nation State building. That was the beauty of June 12 that was the legacy of June 12. Unfortunately, the government of the day destroyed that unprecedented effort to turn Nigeria into a first world nation.
“There is no denying the fact that Nigeria is today far more divided than we were in 1993, when the June 12 Elections were annulled. As we know, June 12 is not just a day, but a struggle. It’s a struggle for the peace, unity, economic prosperity, true political independence and ultimately, justice for all and respect for the rule of law.
“It therefore behoves on the Federal Government and government at all other levels to seize the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day to initiate processes aimed at strengthening national reconciliation and healing amongst the various ethnic groups, “Pyagbara said.
He noted that the Ogoni people, ‘whom the Federal Government wronged grievously with the hanging of the Ogoni nine, also take further steps to ensure that the philosophy and ideals behind the June 12 struggle should also be respected and given ultimate attention in the spirit of national reconciliation and healing.
It is not the declaration and celebration of June 12 that matter, what truly brings out the import of the day, is the realisation and institution of the tenets of that struggle; the enthronement of true democracy and giving hope to Nigerians, by offering good governance and allowing the will of the peoples that make up the Nigerian-State to prevail in all democratic engagements.
Pyagbara stated further, “June 12, no doubt, has become a symbol of democracy because of the various actors and key players that made huge sacrifices for justice, respect of the rule of law, end to dictatorship and hopelessness in Nigeria.”
“We urge the Nigerian government not to engage in mere celebration but to truly honour the sacrifices of the heroes and heroines of the Ogoni struggle by instituting a memoriam in honour of Ken Saro-Wiwa and all others,” it said.
Dennis Naku
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
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