Rivers: INEC to resume collation of of March 9 elections results

…Says stakeholders rancour expected

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will resume
the collation of election results as planned, it was learnt.

The commission last week fixed 2nd to 5th of April for
resumption of collation of results of the last governorship and
state Assembly elections.

INEC also noted that election had been concluded in 21 state
constituencies and fixed 13th April 2019 should there be any need
for supplementary election.

The collation of the results for the election held on March 9
was suspended due to violence allegedly carried out by soldiers and
armed thugs. Consequently, the Commission set up a Fact-Finding
Committee that visited Rivers State and submitted its report which
revealed that while election could not hold in a few areas, it was
successfully concluded in others with the declaration of winners in
21 state constituencies. Collation was ongoing at the time of the
suspension of the process.

Announcing the outlined activities and timeline to resolve the
electoral logjam in Rivers State, INEC National Commissioner in
charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye,
said the commission will on 30th March 2019 have a meeting with
critical actors in the state after which the headquarters of the
commission will release a guideline for the continuation of the
process.

The meeting, however, turned rancorous as stakeholders exchanged
hot words, which threw up fears that the exercise might be
affected.

But the Commission said yesterday that it will resume the
collation of results despite calls for the fresh election and
rancorous stakeholders meeting at the weekend.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Commission Mr.
Rotimi Oyekanmi said rachour among political parties during a
stakeholders’ meeting before any major election is a common
phenomenon.

Oyekanmi, therefore, said whatever might have transpired during
the stakeholders meeting in Rivers at the weekend was not enough to
alter INEC timeline to conclude the election in the state.

He said, “Regardless of their drama, however, the Commission
will go ahead with its schedule of activities for the resumption of
collation and conduct of supplementary elections where necessary in
Rivers State.”

He added that whatever position taken by the parties at the
stakeholders meeting will absolutely not have any impact on the
plan of the commission.

He stressed, ” It does not change anything. The Commission will
go ahead with its plan.”

Oyekanmi explained further that “Rancour among political parties
during a stakeholders’ meeting before any major election is a
common phenomenon. At most of this type of meeting the Commission
organized before any of the governorship election the conducted
over the last 3 years, it has been the same story. Political
parties regrettably bring their bitter differences to the meeting,
but this is very unfortunate. They need to show maturity and stop
this unnecessary bickering that will lead them nowhere.”

Speaking on the call for withdrawal of Mrs May Agbamuche Mbu,
INEC National Commissioner who chaired the stakeholders meeting in
the absent of Chairman of the Commission, Okoye said that INEC will
not abdicate its constitutional and statutory responsibility and
create a constitutional crisis.

He stressed that the “Commission is determined to conclude the
collation of results for State Assembly and Governorship elections
in Rivers State. The Commission is courageously following its
timetable and schedule of activities outlined for the conclusion of
the collation and electoral process in Rivers State.

The process of collation and conclusion of the process is
transparent and painstaking. All the critical stakeholders in the
electoral process are involved in the process leading to the final
collation of results. It is the constitutional and statutory
responsibility and mandate of the Commission to organize and
superintend elections.

It is the responsibility of the Commission to collate and
announce the results of elections and the Commission does not share
this responsibility with anyone, body, institution or agency. The
Commission will conclude the collation of results before pulling
out of Rivers State. The resolve of the Commission is to
transparently collate the results and announce the results.

The Commission is the regulator of political parties and sets
the parameters for the conclusion of the process based on the law
and the constitution. The Commission will not abdicate its
constitutional and statutory responsibility and create a
constitutional crisis. ”

On the staged walked out by some governorship candidates in the
polls under the umbrella of Coalition of Governorship candidates,
Okoye said “Each Political Party is a legal entity registered by
the Commission in accordance with the constitution and the
Electoral Act, 2010(as amended).

The Commission did not register any Political Party known as
Coalition of Governorship Candidates and does not deal with any
coalition. The Commission extended invitation for the stakeholders
meeting to registered political parties and they attended the
stakeholders meeting in that capacity.

All the candidates in the election filed their nominations under
the banner and platform of their respective parties. Our plea is
that all the candidates and political parties should cooperate with
the Commission for the expeditious conclusion of the collation
process. Although protests and walkouts are part of the democratic
process, it should be employed in a manner that serves the national
interest.”

On Zamfara state, he said “the issue of the electoral fortune of
the APC in Zamfara State is before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The Commission is a law-abiding institution and will prefer to wait
for the decision of the Supreme Court on the matter. The Commission
will not make any comment that will prejudice the due determination
of the suit in the Supreme Court.”