Date: 2019-02-19

A group, Kwara Advancement Initiative has alleged that sensitive election materials meant for the conduct of the postponed presidential and National Assembly elections in Kwara State had been tampered with by the electoral body and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement signed by its coordinator, Kamaldeen Olanrewaju, the group alleged that "there are strong indications that sensitive election materials - ballot papers, result sheets, and card readers - transported to Kwara State for the elections and returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office n Ilorin have been tampered with by some INEC officials in connivance with APC leaders in the state."

The statement of the Kwara Advancement Initiative reads in part: We wish to draw the attention of the media, observers, civil society groups and the general public to this illegal and undemocratic act.

"We also call on security agencies in the state, particularly the police to urgently conduct an investigation into this matter and ensure that justice is done.

"Kwarans should also be at alert and resist attempts by any political party and the electoral body to manipulate elections in the state. We want free, fair and credible elections in Kwara."

Reacting to the allegation, the INEC's director, Voter Education and Media, Jacob Ayanda, said that the report was not true.

Ayanda, who said that every process of the election had been done in the full glare of members of the public, political parties and media, added that the stakeholders were there when the electoral body returned the election materials to the CBN.

He said that ballot papers had not been opened because the electoral process had not reached that level before the poll was postponed.

The INEC official added that election materials were immediately retrieved from the local government areas after the postponement of the elections last Saturday.

"All the political party agents and the media will be there when the election materials will be taken back from the CBN again for the election purposes. It will be counted and the number and materials included would be checked by all the stakeholders. There's no secret about it. No ballot paper has been tampered with. It's at the polling units that the materials will be opened for all to see. Party agents will be present at every stage of the election process", he said.