Controversy Trails CPN Election, As Faction Challenges Emergence Of Prof Obiniyi

Controversies have continued to trail the online election conducted by the Computer Professional Regulations Council of Nigeria(CPN), in which Prof. Afoloyan Obiniyi purportedly emerged as a winner.

CityMirrowNews reports that the council had on Thursday conducted an online election where Prof. Afolayan Obiniyi emerged as a winner with 285 votes to defeat his contender, Mr Kole Jagun who polled 56.

The online results made available to CityMirrorNews on Thursday, April 8

According to data made available to CityMirrorNews, Prof Obiniyi won with 83.6 % of the total lawful votes, while Dr Eyo Effiong Essien, emerged the Vice President by polling 182 votes, thereby winning with 100% of total votes cast.

Meanwhile, one Remi Awe, who claimed to be the Corporate Affairs Manager of the council however said no election was conducted .

He later sent a rejoinder signed by Muhammadu Aliyu, who he described as the Registrar /Secretary of the council.

The rejoinder read thus: ” The attention of the Council of *Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria)* {CPN} has been drawn to news in *City Mirror News* declaring one of the candidates for the post of President/Chairman of Council as the winner of the election that has not been held.

”Council wishes to state unequivocally that this information is false as the election has not even held. Members of the Information Technology community and the general public are enjoined to please disregard the information. The election to fill the vacant position of the President/Chairman will be conducted in accordance with best practices, and a winner would be announced by the Committee of Council saddled with that responsibility”.

Meanwhile, the purported winner of the contest, Prof, Obiniyi, in a telephone conversation with our Correspondent refuted the claim that there was no election, he said there was a calculated attempt to change the goal post after the whole process and when the candidate endorsed by some people lost the election.

He said,” The election started and I voted and others voted at a time they said they have canceled the election, the election was held online and I was massively voted for.

”The results came online and it specified my name, the number of the votes I had and the number of votes my co-contestant had, in which I emerged winner through the platform we used, which generated the whole results automatically.

”I was later taken aback when I was summoned to a meeting later in the day around midnight, and I was told that that the election had been cancelled.

”While justifying the reason for the cancellation, they first told me that they were test running the electoral software in the first place and that is why they canceled it.

”When I challenged them on this, they now changed the story, they gave another reason that the database was compromised .

”Sincerely, I was in the dark on every decision they took after the results of the elections have been released online and as a contestant I have to be carried along in whatever decision they wanted to take.