Kogi/Bayelsa Guber: INEC urged to cancel any polling unit where violence erupt

Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

In a bid to curb the spate of violence orchestrated by some politicians during elections to undermine the electoral process, thus, subverting the will of the people, a coalition of Civil Society groups has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the ballot at each and every polling unit where violence erupts in the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

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Addressing journalist in Abuja after submitting a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s headquarters, Adebayo Raphael of the Free Nigeria Movement, also urged the commission to declare its intention on the use of card reader and manual accreditation for the forthcoming elections.

While calling on the INEC Chairman to see the forthcoming governorship elections as an avenue to right the wrongs of the 2019 general elections by improving on the gaps identified by local and international observers, he tasked the commission to put in place strong mechanisms that will make the two elections to be adjudged as free, fair and credible.

“We would like to urge the commission to cancel the ballot at each and every polling unit where violence erupts in the forthcoming elections. We believe this would serve as a strong deterrence to politicians and political parties who are bent on using violence to undermine our elections and subvert the will of the people. 

“We wish to also ask the commission to develop a monitoring and feedback template for deploying Police officers, so as to be able to hold to account any unit that fails to act in preventing any form of electoral malpractice. It is important that the Police are mandated to also do a ward-by-ward report of their activities on the Election Day. 

“It is equally important that the commission declares its intention on the use of card reader and manual accreditation for the forthcoming elections. This is crucial as it would show the commitment of the commission to transparency and accountability, as well as help reinforce trust in the electoral process.” He said

Speaking further, Adebayo also appealed to the commission to stay true to its promise that Internally Displaced Persons will not be disenfranchised during elections in Nigeria.

However, he expressed optimism that the commission will eschew all forms of bias when dealing with any form of electoral misconduct or violence by any of the political parties during the forthcoming elections.

“This is INEC’s first outing after the last general polls which fell below the minimum standard for conducting a credible election in our estimation and as confirmed in the post-election reports of notable organizations. Hence, we wish to encourage and task the commission to put in place strong mechanisms that will make the two elections to be adjudged as free, fair and credible. 

“We have read multiple media reports on your concern that thugs have been heavily mobilize to disrupt the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa States governorship elections. While we commend the honesty of the commission in its risk assessment report on the forthcoming elections, we must strongly urge the commission to be firm and unbiased in dealing with any form of electoral misconduct or violence by any of the political parties during the forthcoming elections. 

“Whilst looking forward to peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, we sincerely hope that these two elections would return Nigeria to the path of electoral redemption.” Adebayo said