 |
| Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim |
Our correspondent gathered on Saturday that the police investigation team has arrived Anambra State to investigate and interview the principal actors in the saga.
Though the police command in Awka could not be reached for comments on the investigations, sources within the Independent National Electoral Commission said confirmed the investigations, but said the national headquarters of INEC were responsible.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had ordered a rerun in several wards for the Anambra Central Senatorial election, after declaring it to be inconclusive last Thursday.
He nullified the declaration by the Returning Officer, Mr. Alex Anene, that the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria won the election.
Jega said based on investigations conducted into the controversy, Anene’s declaration did not meet with the requirements of the law.
He therefore said that the police have been invited to look into the criminal aspects of the matter.
The police investigations came as the candidate of the Accord Party in that election, Senator Annie Okonkwo called for the cancellation of the entire results of the election.
Okonkwo said elections did not take place in many places, and I the few places where it did, ballot materials were snatched by thugs and security agents.
But the other leading two candidates, Ngige and Dora Akunyili of the All Progressives Grand Alliance have accepted the decision of INEC and commenced intensive campaigns in the rerun areas.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday said it had no plans to conduct fresh polls in Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
The clarification was sequel to the confusion generated by conflicting signals from parties involved in the April 9 National Assembly elections.
The Commission in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said this was to correct the misunderstanding that a re-run election has been scheduled to hold in the constituency.
The statement read in part: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hereby clarifies that an election was duly held in the two local governments that make up the Ika Federal Constituency on April 9, 2011.
“The results from the various polling units were collated at the ward level. The process continued to the local government level where the results from the wards were collated.”
“But when the results collated at the local government level were presented for collation at the constituency level, the Returning Officer, Dr. Godwin Avwioro, failed to collate the results from Ika North/East Local Government Area of the constituency.
“Having failed to collate all the results for the constituency, he could not declare a winner, thus making the election inconclusive.
“Given that election had held, and the results collated up to the local government level, the Commission has resolved that another Returning Officer be appointed to do the final collation and announce the outcome. This, as expected, will be in the presence of the agents of participating political parties.
“INEC reaffirms its unflagging commitment to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the ongoing political process.”
It may be recalled that elections into some Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies such in states like Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi and Ogun were rescheduled to hold along with the gubernatorial elections on April 26 owing to logistics problems. END.
By Emmanuel Obe and John Alechenu Courtesy Of: Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment