INEC urges non-interference, violence-free supplementary polls in Imo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed to stakeholders involved in Saturday’s supplementary elections in Imo to allow the process run without unnecessary interference and violence.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Prof. Sylvia Agu, made the appeal during a stakeholders’ meeting with various political parties and security agencies on Thursday in Owerri.
Agu said that the supplementary elections would hold in some registration areas and polling units in three state constituencies of Isu, Ahiazu Mbaise and Ideato South.
She further said that the supplementary polls for the Mbaitoli-Ikeduru Federal Constituency would hold in 12 registration areas and 58 polling units.
She said that the elections were inconclusive in the areas for various reasons, ranging from late arrival of materials to non-delivery of election materials by the Supervisory Polling Officers and materials not getting to polling units at all.
The REC said that previous elections in the areas also witnessed the disruption of voting and collation process, abduction of personnel, carting away of electoral materials and physical violence.
“This commission hopes that all the actors who stalled the electoral process, which culminated in further expenditure for the supplementary elections, would desist from such ignoble behaviour,” Agu said.
She said that the commission had made adequate preparations to ensure free, fair and credible exercise on Saturday.
She also said that the commission had resolved to engage 100 per cent INEC staff members for the exercise and would not engage ad hoc staff.
In separate remarks at the meeting, some of the stakeholders expressed concern over INEC’s failure to declare the result for Njaba/Isu/Nkwerre/Nwangele Federal Constituency.
“Our people suffered a lot during the election, yet no one has been declared winner,” Mr Paschal Onwudi from Njaba said.
Also, the state Chairman of Accord Party, Mr ThankGod Ibe, expressed worry that the commission failed to publish areas where the supplementary elections would take place in the commission’s portal. (NAN)
