Plot thickens to undermine BVAS Machine in Imo — Achonu

In a press conference held on Friday in Owerri, Senator Athan Achonu, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo State, voiced serious concerns over an alleged plot to manipulate the election by causing malfunctions in the BVAS (Biometric Verification Authentication System) machines at certain polling units.

Accompanied by the Director of Media and Publicity of his Campaign Organisation, Chibuikem Diala, Achonu claimed that the scheme aimed to either fabricate false election results or disrupt the voting process, particularly in areas where the alleged perpetrators lacked significant influence.

Achonu urged the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) to intervene and prevent any potential tampering with the BVAS machines.

He specifically pointed to the changing of BVAS passwords by the Registration Area Technical Support (RATECH) team, warning that such actions could compromise the integrity of the entire election process.

In his statement, Achonu said,

“The Senator Athan Achonu Media Centre wishes to alert security agents and patriotic INEC staff, especially those sent from outside Owerri for this election, about plans already concluded to compromise the BVAS for use in the election by the RATECH team.”

According to reliable intelligence from certain Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Owerri Federal Constituency, discussions among the technical teams centered on providing incorrect passwords to ad hoc staff, specifically those deployed to polling units with a high number of voters.

The alleged plan was reportedly discussed in Owerri Municipal and Owerri North LGAs, where the Head of the RATECH team purportedly finalized arrangements to issue inaccurate passwords to Polling Officers (POs).

The source further revealed that the instructions were to ensure BVAS malfunctions at the affected polling units, with the ultimate goal of either producing false results or disrupting the voting process in areas where the riggers lacked substantial influence.

Achonu condemned the alleged plot, stating,

“This is shameful and devilish.”

He called on party agents, voters, and all relevant stakeholders to hold the RATECH team accountable for any irregularities, emphasizing that Polling Officers should not be blamed if BVAS passwords are incorrect due to compromise.

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