2023: INEC denies probing Tinubu over criminal forfeiture case

• Displays voters’ register for claims, objections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports linking it with a purported investigation of a criminal forfeiture case against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, gave the clarification yesterday in statement.

According to him, a press release purported to have been issued by the commission has been trending online since Friday, Nov. 11.

“It claims that the commission has commenced investigation into a case of criminal forfeiture against one of the presidential candidates in the forthcoming General Election and is liaising with a Court in the United States of America in pursuit of same to determine possible violation of our guidelines or the Electoral Act 2022.

“We wish to state categorically that the said press release did not emanate from the commission nor is it pursuing the purported course of action. It is the handiwork of mischief makers and utterly fake,” Okoye said.

He said that press releases from the commission are usually uploaded to the INEC Press Corps platform and simultaneously disseminated through its website and official social media handles. 

He urged the public to ignore the press release in question.

Meanwhile, INEC has  released the methodology for claims and objections in the register of voters by citizens for the 2023 general elections.

The national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of the INEC, Festus Okoye, noted this in a statement in Abuja.

He stated that the commission deliberated on the forthcoming display of the entire national register of voters for claims and objections by citizens as required by law and approved the methodology for the exercise.

He said that as earlier announced by the commission, the entire preliminary register containing 93,522,272 registrants would be published, and that the exercise would last for two weeks, from November 12 to 25, 2022.

He said, “The information has also been uploaded to the commission’s website (www.inecnigeria.org/display) and social media platforms.”