Anietie Udobit, Abuja
A Coalition of Election Observers in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in Abia North Senatorial District of Abia State has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to either fix a date for rerun of Election in places where elections didn’t hold and was observed irregularities or cancel the entire election in the senatorial district.
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The group led by its leader, Raheed Shuaib made the call on Tuesday March 14 in Abuja during a Press Conference on the report/assessment of the election.
The statement reads” INEC should as a matter of urgency help to calm the growing agitation in these areas where elections never held and fix a date to conduct a rerun election or cancel the elections as a result of irregularities which took place during the collation of the results which is not in line with the electoral new ACT”
The Observers who spoke on their disappointment with the conduct of the Electoral officials, who have promised them that there is going to be a rerun the following day of election, only for them to rush and announced the winner, said from their record, elections were not held in over 100 polling units with over 80,000 registered voters across the senatorial district.
It reads: “On the election Saturday being 25th February 2023 INEC returning officer after noticing some irregularities and logistic challenges announced to the observers, party agents and others in Ohafia, after speaking with the Resident Electoral Officer in Umuahia, that there will be a rerun election on Sunday 26th February, 2023 in some places in Abia North where elections didn’t hold as a result of logistics.
“We want to put it on record that there was no rerun election in those affected places. Later around 2pm on that 26th of February, one of the officials of INEC informed us that the elections in places where elections never held will be done on the 27th starting by 8:30am. All the voters that turned up in their numbers were disappointed and while some were still hanging around their various polling units, information came to us that the EO and the collation Officers were about to announce the results.
“As observers, we rushed to the venue and tried to remind them of the number of voters they will disfranchise if they should go on to call the result of unfinished election and the consequences, but it all went on a deaf ears.
“After every effort to appeal to them to do the needful both by the Party Agents and Security Personnel, the two collation Officers went ahead and called the result of what should have been regarded as an inconclusive election.
“It took the presence of the heavy joint security officers on ground to calm the situation before the INEC officers were squeezed out of the premises of the Presbyterian Church school in Ohafia.
“We want to put on record that election didn’t hold in over 100 polling units across the under-listed LGAs in Abia North Senatorial districts with over 80,000 registered voters”, the observers noted.
The group also makes several recommendations to the Electoral body, INEC ahead of the rescheduled governorship and state assemblies election on March 18, 2023.
The statement reads” We recommend that INEC should critically look into the distribution of both sensitive and non-sensitive materials ahead of the Governorship and State Assembly election. As this was a major setback in the 25th February presidential election.
“There should be adequately attached police officer that will escort both the election materials and INEC Ad-Hoc Staff as this was one of the reasons while there was no election in some of the polling units in Ohafia, Arochukwu, etc.
“There should be adequate arrangement between the commission and the major transport operators on how to convey the election. “There should be proper orientation of the INEC Ad-Hoc Staff not to compromise or being influenced by any political party to do their biddings.
“There should be proper re-training of the INEC Presiding Officers who are going to handle the BVAS. So as to have a hitch-free March 18th rescheduled Governorship and States Assembly elections”, the statement ends.
It will be recalled that INEC on Monday 27th March announced the All Progressive Congress, APC Candidate and Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu as winner of the Abia North Senatorial district election. This announcement has not gone down well with the Observers, Party Agents, electorates and other contestants. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Candidate in the election, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, has already approached the Electoral Tribunal, to seek a redress.