INEC to investigate violence during elections

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to investigate cases of the violence against polling units, the commission’s officials, voters and election materials during the governorship and state Assembly elections at the weekend.

The Commission in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday vowed that the electoral umpire will do everything within its powers to prosecute the culprits, just as it urged aggrieved persons or groups to seek redress at the tribunals.

According to the statement, many parts of the country remained relatively peaceful during the elections, but some states including Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi and Ondo states recorded a significant number of violent incidents.

INEC’s records show that there were 66 reports of violent incidents targeted at polling units, the Commission’s officials, voters and election materials. These were in Rivers State (16 incidents), Ondo (8), Cross River and Ebonyi (6 each), Akwa Ibom (5), Bayelsa (4), Lagos and Kaduna (3 each), Jigawa, Enugu, Ekiti and Osun (2 each), Katsina, Plateau, Kogi, Abia, Imo, Kano and Ogun (1 each).

While calling on citizens to maintain the peace as the results are being processed, the Commission also urged Nigerians to accept the official outcomes.

“We would like to emphasize that winners can only emerge after collation of the official results and on the basis of the requirements prescribed by the legal framework. Any aggrieved persons or groups are encouraged to seek redress at the tribunals.

“INEC would also like to remind all stakeholders that the process is not yet completed and urges restraint in their comments, as we strive to bring this process to an orderly, peaceful and credible conclusion.

“A general assessment shows that the elections went well across the country. According to preliminary reports, 88.9 percent of polling units opened for accreditation between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. across the country. Only 5.2 percent were yet to open as of 1.pm. Also, 73 percent of the polling units had commenced voting by 2.30 p.m.

“The process of accreditation with smart card readers was also successful in majority of the polling units. Initial challenges were recorded in Edo and Abia states, but the technical teams deployed to support the states were able to resolve the issues in a timely manner,” the statement said.