Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) has not been having the best of times with Nigerians over its
continued inconclusive elections – It again held two senatorial re-run
elections in Okigwe, Imo state and Kogi state respectively, but while that of
Kogi is won, the one in Okigwe is inconclusive – Nwanguma said the recent
exercise has thrown up fears as to the competence, ability or will by the
current INEC The announcement that the senatorial re-run in Okigwe, Imo state
is inconclusive, has again pitched the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) against Nigerians.
While INEC declared the Kogi senatorial re-run
in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it announced that the Okigwe
re-run was not conclusive. Since Professor Attahiru Jega left after the 2015
general election, the electoral umpire had been organising elections often
declared inconclusive. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Okechukwu Nwanguma
Okechukwu Nwanguma says condemns INEC over the Okigwe re-run The latest
condemnation is coming from Okechukwu Nwanguma, the head of Network on Police
Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), who is from the senatorial region. In a statement Nwanguma
declared: The decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
to declare the Saturday July 23 senatorial re-run election in Okigwe senatorial
zone, Imo State as ‘inconclusive’ is outrageous and calls for national and
international attention on the integrity and the competence of the current
leadership of INEC under the current regime to carry out its sacred duty of
election management in Nigeria.
Under the current leadership of
INEC, and for various reasons, most of the elections so far conducted have been
declared inconclusive. The number of elections – most of which are re-reun
which had been so declared is unrivalled in the history of electoral management
in Nigeria. This has thrown up fears as to the competence, ability or will by
the current INEC to conduct free and fair general elections- if it cannot
manage elections within a small part of a state. In the particular case of the
Okigwe senatorial re-run election, accounts by different election
observer-groups and commentators indicate that, although there was rain almost
all day, which may have contributed to low turn-out of voters, but voting went
on largely smoothly in most polling booths without significant incidents.
Results monitored and documented by
observer-groups and other keen watchers indicate that the PDP candidate was
leading by wide margins in most booths. However, at the LG collation centers,
the results suddenlychanged favouring the APC candidate. Reports and complaints
are also rife that certain well-known politicians moved around freely with
security agents, especially police and army officials brazenly disrupted votes
and vote counts, snatched ballot boxes at gun point and took them to locations
associated with the Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha. The name of Senator
Ifeanyi Ararume, among many other APC chieftains has constantly come up in
different reports and commentaries. There were allegations that INEC collation
officers were ‘abducted’ or disappeared and were later assembled at a certain
hotel owned by Rochas Okorocha before they later reappeared at the central
collation centre where they presented altered or fake results. Army officers apparently
acting at the behest of the Imo state governor are accused of disallowing PDP
party agents and independent election observers from accessing the collation
centre to monitor the final collation prior to announcement of outcome.
Questions have been asked as to who authorised
the deployment of the army for this election! Only the president and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces can deploy or authorise the deployment
of the army. And why should the army be deployed in a single election as a
Senatorial election? Allegations are indeed rife of collusion by the police,
army and INEC with the Imo state governor to manipulate the Okigwe re-run
sentarial election in favour of the APC candidate as part of a larger political
agenda by the governor and his party. Observers report that votes were inflated
in some booths; in some cases, more votes were allocated to certain booths than
the actual number of registered voters, the rationale being: ‘let’s rig and get
elected first, then let the ‘loser’ go to the Tribunal later’. This is sheer
impunity. Of all the fingered accomplices in the Okigwe electoral banditry and
violent subversion of the people’s will and of the electoral act, INEC has a
greater stake and higher moral burden to discharge. It is the electoral umpire
which ought to be independent and impartial. It has powers under the law to
ensure that electoral offenders are identified, arrested and prosecuted. This
is imperative in order to create a deterrence and ensure that desperate and
conscienceless politicians get the message loud and clear that the days of
brazen electoral banditry and subversion of the will of the people are over
Similarly, security agents involved in aiding
and abetting such criminality and subversion of the electoral law should also
be brought to account. INEC must redeem it’s public image by ensuring that this
time, justice is done in this election and that the actual candidate voted by
the majority of the people of Okigwe zone is allowed to carry the vote. INEC
must safeguard the actual ballot papers for examination.
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