FROM: TAIWO AMODU, ABUJA

THE Independent National Elec­toral Commission (INEC) has said it would only return to Rivers to conclude the State rerun elec­tions when it was guaranteed of adequate security for its personnel.
The electoral body had in a statement last Sunday suspended all actions on the electoral exer­cise. INEC premised its action on “the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some ar­eas.”
But in a statement made avail­able to newsmen last night in Abu­ja and signed by Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, INEC declared that it would not expose voters, its offi­cials, observers and media person­nel to danger unless it has assur­ance on their safety.
“While the commission is com­mitted to conducting free, fair and credible elections, it hereby reiter­ates its resolve not to return to Riv­ers State (or anywhere else where there was breakdown of law and order in the cause of conducting elections) until there is conducive atmosphere for the conduct of credible elections.
“As a responsible organization, it will not expose its stakehold­ers especially voters, its officials, observers, media personnel to any danger and even where dates have been fixed and published, it will not hesitate to again suspend the exercise where there is clear dan­ger or credible threat of a break­down of law and order.”
On the proposed fresh exercise, the Commission said it “will, at a date to be decided, conduct fresh elections starting with accredita­tion and voting in all Local Gov­ernment Areas, Constituencies, Registration Areas and Polling Units where the exercise was dis­rupted before voting was conclud­ed on Saturday 19th March, 2016.
While it acknowledged “that there were some challenges in its operational efficiency, especially as it concerns the production and customization of the result sheets used for the conduct of the elec­tion”, it however dismissed reports attributed to politicians that fake result sheets were used, during last Saturday aborted exercise.