INEC Picks October for Repeat Re-run Elections in Rivers

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it is determined to conclude the suspended Federal and State Constituency elections in Rivers State in October this year.

In a statement issued by the commission on Tuesday, National Commissioner in charge of Electoral Operations, Hajiya Amina Bala Zakari, was quoted as having expressed the commission’s resolve to conduct all the outstanding re-run elections.
She urged stakeholders, especially members of the political class, to co-operate with the Commission in order to bring this about.

She emphasized that INEC was non-partisan and was interested in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy by providing political parties and contestants a level playing field.

Zakari said that the commission was worried that some parts of the Rivers State had no representation at the National and State Assemblies, hence the convening of the Stakeholders’ Forum to discuss issues emanating from the conduct of the May 19, 2016 re-run elections which were suspended as a result of violence.

She also explained that the March 19 re-run elections were suspended at various stages due to violence adding that some “cooling off” period was allowed by the Commission to re-strategize on how to return to the affected areas to conclude the elections”.

Zakari informed a forum consisting of political leaders and candidates of the 28 political parties that participated in the re-run elections that INEC was determined to conclude them and had earlier fixed the date on July 30. She regretted that it could not hold because of security reasons, non-compliance of the political class with the peace resolution signed by them and the arson which took place at INEC’s Bori Khana LGA Office on July 21st, 2016.

She stated that in spite of the efforts of mediators, the conditions earlier set as precedent for the conduct of the elections by the Commission were not met in Rivers State. She said that the elections in Imo and Kano States were conducted because they satisfied INEC’s conditions.

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