The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has rejected rerun results in areas that recorded violence and disruption on Saturday, January 25, 2020.
INEC stated that the isolated incidents minimally affected the peaceful and orderly exercise in only four of the 28 constituencies where elections were conducted.
The decision was contained in a statement made available to Punch on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, by INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of its information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye, after the commission’s meeting on Monday.
The statement read, “INEC met on January 27, 2020, and reviewed the conduct of the January 25, 2020 court-ordered rerun elections in 28 constituencies in 11 states of the federation.
“It noted a marked improvement in compliance with its processes and procedures during the elections.
“Regrettably, deviant behaviour by a few persons determined to subvert the people’s will was noticed in a few areas in the course of the elections. These isolated incidents minimally affected the peaceful and orderly exercise in only four of the 28 constituencies where elections were conducted.
“However, consistent with the commission’s resolve to sanction bad electoral behaviour, the commission took the following steps to protect the process:
“In Akwa-Ibom State, where the officials of the commission were abducted and diverted to an undesignated location and forced to compromise the elections in the Essien Udim LGA, all the polling units involved were identified and their results discountenanced.
“In Abi State Constituency of Cross River State, officials of the commission were abducted and thus prevented from deploying in eight polling units. All officials of the commission that were abducted have been rescued and accounted for.
“In furtherance of its resolve not to accept results from areas where the processes were disrupted and its officials attacked, the commission took a firm action by not accepting results from such areas as it could not vouch for their integrity.
“But the commission notes that in most cases, these incidents were not widespread and did not significantly affect the overall results. As such, declarations and returns were made.”
Meanwhile, INEC has declared Jerry Alagbaoso of the Peoples Democratic Party the winner of the supplementary election held on Saturday in Orlu/Orsu/ Oru East federal constituency.
Emma Anakwuba, the returning officer of the election, announced the results and returned the PDP candidate under tight security at INEC’s office in Owerri on Tuesday.
This declaration is coming three days after political thugs invaded INEC’s collation centre, tore the election results after accusing the electoral umpire of compromising the exercise.
The returning officer said the PDP candidate scored 22,475 votes to emerge the winner, beating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Eddy Iheanacho, who got 20, 814 votes.
