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.