Osun poll: Accord, APC clash over election hacking allegations
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- The Accord Party in Osun State, Nigeria, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of harboring election result hackers.
- Accord alleges the hackers, brought in from Lagos and Abuja, aimed to compromise the INEC digital system and tamper with election results.
- The APC dismissed the accusations as false and baseless, attributing them to the Accord Party's fear of defeat.
The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party has leveled serious accusations against the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging the presence of election result hackers harbored in a hotel in Osogbo. The Accord Party has urged security agencies to act swiftly to apprehend those involved in this alleged illegal operation.
The hackers were brought in from Lagos and Abuja and they have set up an operational center at the hotel. Their target is to compromise the INEC electronic system to impute fake election results into the INEC server.
According to a statement signed by the State Chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande, credible reports indicate that these hackers were brought in from Lagos and Abuja. Their objective, the party claims, is to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) digital system and manipulate the Osun election results. The Accord Party has called upon INEC to strengthen its digital system and cybersecurity measures in response to these alleged threats from the opposition.
In a swift rebuttal, the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing them as "false and baseless." Olabisi stated that the APC would win the upcoming election legitimately and does not need to engage in electoral fraud. He suggested that the Accord Party's claims stem from a "fear of defeat" and are merely a "figment of the imagination."
The allegation that our party is harbouring hackers in a particular hotel in Osogbo is false without any foundation, and there is no basis for that.
The Accord Party, however, insisted on its claims, urging security agencies to raid the identified hotel and other alleged centers of anti-democratic activities. They reiterated their readiness to mobilize voters and win the election, while also cautioning INEC to remain vigilant against potential hacking and manipulation. The APC, in turn, advised the Accord Party to report any such suspicions to the police rather than making public accusations.
It is the fear of losing the election that is haunting the Accord Party functionaries who are peddling the information. It is nothing but a figment of the imagination of those peddling the rumour.
Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.