Olawale Ibrahim,Lokoja
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC ,Kogi State is set to conduct a supplementary re run elections for Kogi West district and Ajaokuta Federal Constituency respectively on 30th November ,2019.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner REC, Professor James Apam disclosed this while speaking at a Stakeholders meeting at Mahmood Yakubu Collation Centre INEC headquarters , Lokoja on Tuesday,stated that this become imperative to ensure that the commission put the issue of election
Apam explained that that the court had ordered the rerun election in 22 polling units following the inability of the returning officer to sign the result sheet
While election election will be conducted in 53 Polling Units where the result of election was cancelled as a result of over voting by the returning officer. He explained that all the logistics for the elections , adding that all non sensitive materials are available ,while sensitive materials elections would be ready on the eve of election which will be deployed to the polling units immediately.
He restated the commission’s commitment to use the University lecturers as the returning officer and NYSC corps members as ad hoc staff.
All the speakers who spoke at the Stakeholders meeting pointed to the facts that all was not with the conduct last Saturday gubernatorial election in Kogi State, calling the INEC to be up and doing in the subsequent election.
However ,ahead of next Saturday Senatorial and House of Representatives rerun elections for Kogi West Senatorial District and Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has pleaded with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Security Agencies to live above board in the discharge of their duties to avert the electoral fraud that dwarfed the just concluded Guber Polls in the state.
The representative of CAN and Director National issues of the Association, Rev Samuel Owolabi condemned in its entirety the rate of violence, intimidation, gunshots, ballot box snatching and vote buying that marred the just concluded governorship election in Kogi state.
According to the Clergyman “As it is now people are demoralised to come out to vote because of fear of being killed. They no longer have confidence in INEC and Security operatives. What we witnessed during the just concluded governorship election was civil war”
