From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), an umbrella body for all Ijaw youths, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against contemplating to adopt manual transmission of November 11 Bayelsa state governorship election results.
President of the youth council worldwide, Theophilus Alaye, gave the warning while reacting to the recent report credited to Bayelsa state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ofiong Effanga.
He urged INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakub, to call Bayelsa REC to order, stressing that adopting manual collation of results will worsen the integrity of the commission in conduct of the forthcoming off-season governorship elections.
The IYC president also wondered why the REC was desperate to adopt manual collation of results even when there was no challenges recorded in Bayelsa state during last presidential, National and State House of Assembly elections.
He reminded the Bayelsa state REC that the failure of the electoral body to transmit the presidential election results has caused so much uproar in the country which has made them doubt its ability to conduct credible and transparent election in the country.
“We enjoin INEC chairman to prevail on Bayelsa state REC to ensure that Bayelsa November governorship election is conducted in line with the Electoral Guidelines by adopting the mode of electronic transmission of results.
“The INEC Chairman should understand that manual transmission of result in the Bayelsa governorship election will confirm the suspicion by many people that he has a brief to work for a political party which will plunge the state into avoidable crisis.
“You know Bayelsa state, overtime, has experienced and recorded high level of violence except the last presidential and State House of Assembly election which was as a result of the application of the BVAS and electronic transmission of results from the pulling units. Hence it is the prayers of IYC to see a violence free election in Bayelsa State,” he noted.