Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has tentatively fixed July 23 and 30 for the conclusion of all outstanding re-run elections in the country.
The commission, yesterday, in consultations with political stakeholder agreed to hold suspended re-run elections in Imo and Kogi States on July 23, while those of Rivers and Kano States will hold on July 30. This was the decision made at the end of the national stakeholders’ forum on outstanding rerun elections in Abuja.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who made the announcement at the end of the meeting in Abuja, however said the commission would further engage the stakeholders, and where necessary, after due consultations, might review the dates with respect to all or any of the states.
According to Yakubu, the meeting agreed that if the need arises to “adjust the dates due to any circumstances, the commission shall do so, adding that, “nothing is cast in stone.
“For us in INEC, stakeholders engagement is central to our commitment to credible and transparent elections. You would recall that following the 2015 general election, 80 constituency elections were nullified by tribunals out of 627 election petitions filed nationwide. Majority of the elections have since been conducted by INEC,” he said.
The INEC boss informed the forum that arson, assault, hostage taking, violence, killings, vandalism, intimidation and violence characterised those elections that were declared inconclusive.
He lamented that inconclusive elections were due to the perpetration of violence in the affected states, stating that although INEC is determined to conclude all their elections the level of violence determines the speed with which the commission goes back to conclude elections.
According to the INEC helmsman, elections anywhere in the world are not automated processes as they are conducted by human beings, stating that disruptions in one polling unit can change the tide in the results hence the commission would not improperly conclude elections.
He however regretted that the violence unleashed on some INEC staff and materials in the areas where the reruns were earlier suspended.
“In Kogi, it (cancellation) was as a result of large scale disruption and physical assault of staff.
In Kano, it was suspended due to violence and intimidation of election staff on duty. In Rivers, which account for about 50 per cent of the 80 nullified elections, many of our staff were assaulted. One of them, Samuel Okonta, was killed. There was widespread violence,” he said.
The Inspector General of Police (IG) who was represented at the occasion by a Commissioner of Police, Habila Joshua expressed the readiness of the police to mobilise personnel for the reruns.
Other stakeholders such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) the political parties and their candidates, all expressed readiness to play their role but called on INEC to ensure adequate provision of security at the election venues.
