Muhammad Kumaila, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the Borno Central Senatorial District, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to investigate alleged evidence‑tampering by INEC officials. Kumaila, who lost the election to All Progressives Congress candidate Kaka Shehu Lawal, filed a petition with the Election Petitions Tribunal in Maiduguri and obtained a court order to inspect election materials, including ballot boxes, used and unused ballot papers, and certified true copies of result and collation sheets.
In a letter dated March 24, obtained by journalists in Abuja, Kumaila alleged that, almost a month after the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections, some ad‑hoc INEC staff in Borno State were caught thumb‑printing and stuffing ballot papers inside the Maiduguri INEC office. During an inspection on March 22, his legal team observed staff sorting, rearranging, and counting ballot papers for the Mafa, Kala Balge, and Dikwa local governments. The inspectors reported the incident to the Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who claimed the staff were merely reorganising documents delivered by local electoral officers. Unsatisfied with this explanation, Kumaila’s team continued the inspection.
The following day, March 23, the inspectors caught two ad‑hoc staff members thumb‑printing ballot papers and stuffing them into ballot boxes for Mafa Local Government. The inspectors arrested the two staff, seized the thumb‑printed ballots and the indelible ink, and took them to Bulumkutu Police Station. Kumaila noted that no INEC official accompanied the team to the police station to ensure proper handling of the arrests. Police took statements from the complainant and the two staff, arrested the staff, and summoned the Mafa Local Government Electoral Officer who had delivered the materials to the Maiduguri office. The police informed Kumaila’s team that the case would be transferred to the Maiduguri Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and prosecution.
Kumaila has also petitioned the Inspector‑General of Police and the Director‑General of the Directorate of State Security Services to investigate the matter and hold the culprits accountable. He called for an urgent, independent inquiry to “fish out bad eggs” within INEC who are “hell‑bent on tarnishing the image of the electoral umpire.” When approached for comment, INEC’s Head of Department for Voter Education and Publicity in Maiduguri, Abba Liberty, referred journalists to the Borno Resident Electoral Commissioner, stating he was restricted from responding.
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