Reviewing the rerun polls in Imo State

The long awaited rerun polls in Imo State, to produce representatives for Oru-East, Owerri-West and Isiala-Mbano state constituencies in the Imo House of Assembly as well as Imo-North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, held on Saturday 23rd July 2016 as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Though the conduct of the polls was free, fair in spite of failure of some of the Smart Card Readers, in  Oru-East State Constituency, the results for that of Imo-North Senatorial District alongside Isiala-Mbano State Constituency were declared inconclusive by the INEC Returning Officer, Prof Arinze Agbogu considering that the votes cast in (15) polling units in the entire area were cancelled; and statistics show that the affected booths have a total of thirteen thousand (13,000) registered voters to its credit, as against 8,779 which was the margin the APC’s candidate Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu was leading the PDP’s candidate Chief Athan Achonu (his closest rival) with.
However, it was gathered that only one electoral ward named ‘Osuachara’ in Isiala-Mbano LGA out of the total of sixty-four (64) existing wards in the senatorial district was actually affected by the “cancellation”. Owing to this outcome, several aggrieved members and supporters of the APC, lamented that the INEC did not get it right by declaring the election “inconclusive”. According to them, “just a ward” ought not to be a tangible reason for declaring an election that successfully took place in the other 63 wards in the district inconclusive.
People really need to be properly guided on how this thing is being done constitutionally. In accordance with the Electoral Act, an election is said to be inconclusive when/if the total number of registered voters in the area where election couldn’t take place or was cancelled, supersedes the figure of the margin between the two leading contenders; it has nothing to do with the number of wards, booths or polling units that were affected, as being presumed. In this case, the total number of registered voters in the affected area was 13,000 whilst the figure of the margin between the two leading contenders was 8,779; this apparently signified that the said election truly deserved to be declared inconclusive. It is done that way, because there is tendency of the second candidate emerging victorious if the remaining or supplementary polls eventually took place.
I have no quarrels with reason for the inconclusiveness. Question is, why was the voting in the polling units in question cancelled. I reliably learnt there was over-voting. Going  by such information, what resulted to the so-called over-voting? Even if there was “No voting/election” at the area, what actually prompted it? Does it imply that the security operatives did not act as expected or was incapacitated? These are pertinent questions for INEC. To this end, the INEC ought to apply caution subsequently towards ensuring that no area or booth is sidelined while an election is going on.
Another headache was the information that the INEC returning officer for Oru-East State Constituency election reportedly claimed that he announced election results under ‘duress’. Probably some guns or weapons were pointed at him. I could not fathom where such ridiculous claim came from. How could an electoral official be placed under duress when there were several law enforcement agents to protect him? Such amusing and absurd claim was equally not unlike telling Nigerians that the security operatives were lobbied to act contrary to their statutory functions.
Notwithstanding, I deeply appreciate the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr. Nasir Ayilara for ensuring that the supplementary polls took place without delay. It’s worth noting that the final total results for the two major contending political parties in the Imo-North Senatorial District – the APC and the PDP, were 56,072 and 43,850 votes respectively, thereby making Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu of the APC to merge victorious with a margin of 12,222 votes.
I candidly appreciate all the bodies involved that made the election a success and  especially the electorate for comporting themselves as long as the elections lasted. Unlike before, no serious violence was recorded across the state and its environs. The electorate has succeeded in proving to other states that they are now wise socio-politically, and that it is no longer business as usual.
Meanwhile, as much as I plead with the aggrieved parties to trade with caution toward peace sustenance, I equally appeal to the apt quarters to swear in the victors of the concluded polls without hesitation, considering that the concerned electorate had already suffered an untold hardship so far. Think about it!