Okenyi Kenechi
As reactions to the decision of a Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal to stay execution of a federal high court which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from accepting candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2019 gubernatorial, national and state house of assembly elections rage on, there seems to be no end in view to the ill fate that has bedevilled the APC in Rivers State.
There have been calls for the commission to restore names of the candidates of the party on the ballot for the national assembly election fixed for February 16 and the Gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections fixed for March 2. This is as others are asking the commission to postpone elections in the state to allow the APC time to prepare for the election.
Recall that the electoral umpire, acting on an order of Justice JK Omotosho of the federal high court of January 7 which ruled that the party has no candidates for the elections for its failure to vacate an order of a state high court, delisted names of the APC candidates from the ballot on January 17.
An appeal file by the APC was granted with the appellate court ordering a stay of execution of the ruling of the federal high court.
But INEC, on Wednesday, said it has not taken any decision as regards the de-listing of candidates of the APC from the ballot.
Okoye, who spoke in Abuja at an interactive meeting with reporters revealed that the position of the commission has not changed in respect to Rivers State APC candidates for the National Assembly and governorship elections.
He, however, stressed that if there is a change in situation of things, the commission would meet to review its stand.
He said: “We have taken a decision relating to the issue of Rivers and if anything changes before we take our final decision, the commission will meet and also take a decision. But we have not taken any other decision and we have not repealed our position on the issue of Rivers.”
On the preparedness of INEC ahead of the forthcoming general elections, Okoye stated that the commission has begun the deployment of sensitive materials and non-sensitive materials to states ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Sensitive materials are the ballot papers, result sheets and the rest.
According to INEC, while non-sensitive materials were being delivered to local government offices of the commission, the sensitive materials were lodged in the Central Bank vaults in the states.
He stated that some local councils have already received delivery of non-sensitive materials such as mats, matrasses, among others, preparatory to next week’s presidential election.
He stated, “The sensitive materials and other non-sensitive materials, sleeping mats, Dunlops and so on. Some of these ones have gone to the various local governments. The generating sets that would be used in the various registration areas have also been delivered to them. The generating sets that will be used at the local governments have been delivered to them and then touch lights that will be used by the presiding officers on election day have also been delivered to the various local governments.
“Based on that, we have asked the resident electoral commissioners to beef up security at the various local government offices because some of these offices have started receiving the non-sensitive materials for the conduct of the elections.
“Secondly, the Central Bank of Nigeria in the various states have started sensitive materials for the conduct of these elections. These sensitive materials include ballot papers and result sheets. Elections are just some few days away and if we have not started receiving the sensitive materials into the vault of the Central Bank, that means we are not a serious commission.
“So, these materials are being delivered on daily basis to the various Central Bank branches in the various states of the federation. So, we are gradually getting ready for the conduct of the elections.”
Okoye, who also spoke on the burnt PVCs in Abia State said the commission would look at the possibility of printing a new ones for those affected.
Besides, INEC has directed its offices in the states to beef up security.
He said: “I think the Nigerian people ought to express some level of outrage at what happened in Abia State.
“As a commission, we thought that the era of burning the local government offices or offices of the commission had come to an end. We did not know that some will attempt to go an burn local government offices of the INEC.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) as I pointed out have been asked to beef up security at their various local government offices to prevent this type of thing from happening again.”
Okoye, who also spoke on the grievances expressed by the Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) for being left out in the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the lifting of personnel and materials on election days, said INEC would not sign MoU with a transport union in crisis.
“What INEC signed with the various transport unions is MOU. The RECs and the various electoral officers in the various states have also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the local unions and also with the transporters themselves, the owners of these vehicles.”
