Bayelsa/Kogi elections: INEC says results in volatile areas will be rejected

The Independent National Electoral Commissioner in charge of
Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye has said that
election results from polling units where cases of ballot
box-snatching were recorded may be cancelled.

There were instances of violence, ballot snatching and
intimidation during the conduct of governorship and senatorial
election in the Kogi state on Saturday.

Okoye said results from volatile polling units could be
cancelled depending on reports from the presiding officer in such
units.

He added that the commission had yet to be informed by the
Peoples Democratic Party that Governor Yahaya Bello and the All
Progressives Congress were allegedly forcing staff of INEC to sign
prefilled results.

He said, “If there were areas where ballot box-snatching was
reported, the presiding officer is expected to write a report on
such incident to the Electoral Officer stating the issues concerned
and how they fill into the guidelines.

“The report from the presiding officers from such units will
help the commission to determine whether the results from such
units will be cancelled outrightly or whether a rerun will be
ordered or whether the unit will be awarded a zero score.

“Until such a report is received from the officers on the field,
the commission will not make a decision on it.”

“We have some Resident and National Commissioners and other
senior staff of the commission on the field. They are doing their
job in accordance with the law.

“We are not aware of such an incident (that Bello and INEC were
forcing INEC staff to sign prefilled results) and if such an
incident is taking place, there will be a report because we have
some Resident Electoral Commissioners supervising a cluster of
Local Government Areas.”