… Violators to be arrested
From Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia and Taiwo Amodu, Abuja
AHEAD of Saturday rerun election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abia State chapter, in collaboration with security agencies, has barred government officials, transition committee chairmen of local government areas and others who do not have any business at result collation centres located at local government headquarters.
Violators will be arrested and prosecuted.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Abia, Sylvester Eziani gave this warning yesterday at a meeting with political party leaders and security agencies in the state.
Those who attended the meeting are: Commander of the Army Barracks at Ohafia, director of the Department of State Security (DSS), commissioner of police, director of prisons, assistant comptroller of customs, commandant of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and leaders of political parties, among others
The REC was prompted to speak when representatives of political parties at the meeting raised the issue of transition committee chairmen being involved in the election.
He stated that the transition committee chairman were barred from the local government on election day, emphasising: “if a landlord had given his house to someone to use for one day, he has no business trying to control the tenant on how to use the house.”
The INEC official said since transition chairmen had given out their local governments for use for the election, they have no authority to interfere on who should be allowed in or not or come close to the place.
He also told government officials, including the governor, deputy governor, commissioners, advisers to the governor, speaker and members of the House of Assembly to steer clear of the result collation centres. He said government officials from the senatorial zones, who will exercise their franchise should vote and go home.
The REC said Saturday is not a working day and so, those who are neither representing parties nor agents of the candidates have no business being there.
With this clear warning, security agencies present at the meeting agreed that violators to the rule would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
In a related development, INEC in Abuja has said that rules guiding movement at polling booths and collation centres on election days have not changed.
INEC rules bar government officials from being at result coalition centres. These include president, vice president, governors, deputy governor, minsters, commissioners, local government chairmen and councillors, advisers to governors/presidents and secretary to state government, among others.
Speaking with Daily Sun in a telephone interview, INEC Deputy Director, Publicity and Voters’ Education, Nick Dazang, enunciated specific people be allowed around collation centres.
“We haven’t reviewed the laws guiding movement around collation centres. What we frown against is people trying to intimidate INEC officials. How do we ensure transparency when we keep people away? We allow accredited reporters, party agents and party officials, INEC officials, and security agents to secure the environment.”
Daily Sun gathered that ahead of the predictably tension-soaked election, political activities in Abia North have heightened with political parties and candidates fine-tuning their strategies for victory at the poll.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri had, last year, sacked Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election.
Ohuabunwa was declared winner of the election which was conducted by INEC in April 11, 2015 and the tribunal, which sat in Umuahia, upheld the election, but eminent business man and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, candidate of the Progressives People Alliance (PPA) challenged the outcome of the exercise.
In Kalu’s appeal, Justice I.G. Mbaba noted that the senatorial poll, which produced Ohuabunwa, was marred by high level irregularities and that the results were mutilated.
The judges ruled that it was better for a fresh election which would be transparent and credible to be held because, according to him, the previous poll was marred by fraud and results mutilated.
The judgment of the Appeal Court was received with jubilation in many quarters with prominent politicians in the state describing it as “victory for democracy.”
The call for a rerun came as a relief to many who felt there was proved evidence that the mandate of the people was subverted in that election. Four political parties are fielding candidates for the election.
They are All Progressives Congress (APC) with Nnenna Nma Lancaster-Okoro as candidate; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Mao Ohuanunwa; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief David Ogba Onuoha and Kalu.