Images leaked on social media platform X have shown Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusaan supervising the preparation of fake membership forms to increase the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) party membership.
The photos show Ihusaan inside a room where ministry employees are filling out forms for the PNC. Deputy Minister Ahmed Ali, responsible for the Department of National Registration (DNR), is also seen in the images. The photos show a large stack of membership forms, with employees cropping passport-size photos to attach to the forms.</
‼️🚨Breaking News
I’ve just received these images which shows Home Minister @min_mohst supervising fake PNC membership filling project inside ministry during work hours; some staff are cropping/gluing photos, some putting signatures.
His position in untenable. He must resign. https://t.co/GoxygMc6AX pic.twitter.com/EgUbOzQIuE
— Hassan Kurusee (@HKurusee) January 15, 2025
Earlier, similar photos circulating on social media showed similar activities happening inside the ministry. When asked about the photos, Ihusaan denied that they were taken in his ministry. Upon further questioning, he stated that the images were taken in the Velana building, which houses several government ministries, but not the Home Ministry floor.
“I went there on a day when political employees were working. It was not during official office hours,” Ihusaan explained.
When pressed about whether personal data from the DNR was used to fill out the forms, Ihusaan stated that DNR data cannot be accessed now but noted that information from the DNR database had been leaked in the past. However, he did not deny that the DNR data might have been used to complete the PNC membership forms.
The PNC admitted yesterday that forms with forged signatures, fake fingerprints, and stolen personal data and photos had been submitted to the Elections Commission (EC), following widespread complaints of membership fraud. Some of these cases have already been reported to the police, and the EC is investigating.
Maafannu Central MP Asma Rasheed has claimed that fake forms were filled out in the PNC campaign hall, and she knows who was responsible for it. The issue gained further attention this week when it was revealed that MP Hussain Ziyad (Fitte) from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was also registered as a member of the PNC without his consent.
In response, Galolhu South MP Mikaeel Naseem has called for Ihusaan to be summoned and questioned about the matter.
Under Section 49 of the Political Parties Act, anyone who submits fake forms for political party membership could be fined between MVR 5,000 and MVR 10,000. The situation has sparked a debate about the integrity of the electoral process and the ruling party’s membership practices.
