DSS withdraws invitation to five INEC directors

Chidi Samuel|

The Department of State Services (DSS) has withdrawn the invitation it sent to the National Commissioner in charge of Operations, Prof. Okey Ibeanu and four other directors of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The others are: The Director of ICT, Chidi Nwafor; the Director of Procurement, Ken Ukeagu; the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Wole Osaze Uzzi and the Assistant Director, ICT, Bimbo Oladunjoye.

The five officers were invited through the DSS office in INEC for interrogation over alleged compromise of the operations of the electoral body.

INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu downplayed yesterday at a briefing the invitation of the five officers, which was communicated to them on Monday by a director of the DSS.

Although the invitation was later withdrawn, the development created tension in the commission.

According to a source, “The DSS has been working on some clues on how INEC’s Smart Card Readers and sensitive materials got into the hands of some suspects in some states.

“The officers were only invited to shed light on the operational modalities of INEC and why the sabotage occurred. We called on them as part of the comprehensive investigation into some allegations raised by the INEC chairman last Saturday.

“Following a twist in the DSS investigation, the invitation was stepped down. I won’t tell you it was dropped because some INEC officers have been implicated in some deals.”

A source in the commission said on Tuesday evening, “The five officers were officially communicated through the DSS office at the close of work on Monday. Early on Tuesday morning, a reminder was sent to all the invitees.

“The invitation generated tension in INEC because those summoned hail mostly from the Southeast, Southsouth and Southwest. Some of them have nothing to do with logistics. We did not know why the DSS left out the director of Logistics and the deputy from the North.

“Some staff also saw it as an attempt to intimidate INEC and its officers. The ethnic tension made the INEC management to wield influence to prevail on the DSS to have a rethink on the invitation because it can disrupt plans for Saturday elections.

“It was based on the grave security implications that the invitation of the five top officers was stepped down.”