Fayose accuses government of planning to shut down Internet on election day so it can rig

FORMER Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose has raised an alarm over alleged plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to jam all telecommunications networks next Saturday to prevent voters posting and accessing election results online.

On Saturday February 16, Nigerians go to the polls, with the presidential contest emerging to be a two horse race between incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). With the contest looking very tight, voters have been warned to guard their votes and prevent any manipulation.

Over recent weeks, the PDP has accused the ruling APC of planning to use the security forces and the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to rig the elections. Upping the ante further, Governor Fayose has accused the APC of planning to shut down Nigeria's Internet network during the elections to prevent voters from posting real time results online, so they can manipulate the figures.

According to Governor Fayose, who is the southwest regional coordinator of the Atiku/Obi PDP Presidential Campaign Council, the government plans to jam all telecommunications networks from between 5am on Saturday until 5pm on Sunday, February 17, making it impossible to use the Internet. He added that the equipment for the sinister plot arrived in the country from Israel last week and was test run last Thursday and Friday.

Governor Fayose said: “I am in my house and even if they put gun in my head, I won’t keep silent at this time because this same strategy was used in Ekiti State during the 2018 governorship election. During the governorship election in Ekiti State, they jammed telecoms networks across a 3km radius around the state government house and my hometown, Afao Ekiti.

“My telephone lines and those of people around me were also engaged with fake calls from 5am on July 21, 2018 till 5am on July 22, 2019. This time around, they want to repeat the same by jamming all networks, especially in states where they intend to rig on Saturday so that Nigerians won’t be able to publish polling units results on social media and also communicate with media houses to expose rigging.

"Jamming equipment brought from Israel is in the country and was demonstrated last week Thursday and Friday. “Nigerians are resolute, they have made up their minds to vote and make sure that their votes count on Saturday, so jamming telecoms services will not work and it will be vehemently resisted.”

He called on all Nigerians and the international community must rise in defence of democracy and the country. Already, international election observers are in Nigeria to monitor the polls.