INEC Investigate Violent Polls in Rivers, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Others

According to ThisDay News, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday said that is investigating the violence that took place in some states in the saturday Governorship and State Assembly elections.

The commission also expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the elections, stating that it is happy that accreditation commenced on time in over 89 percent in all the polling units across the country.

In a statement by INEC, it said,
‎"Overall, many parts of the country remained relatively peaceful during the elections. Some states, however, recorded a significant number of violent incidents, the most affected being Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi and Ondo States.

"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). 

"The Commission is investigating these incidents and will do everything within in its powers to bring culprits to justice."

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According to the statement by INEC a  general assessment of the elections showed that the elections went very well across the country.

The commission said that preliminary reports showed that  88.9 % of polling units opened for accreditation between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. across the country.

According to INEC, "Only 5.2 % were yet to open as of 1 pm. Also, 73 % of the polling units had commenced voting by 2.30 p.m.

"The process of accreditation with Smart Card Readers was also successful in a 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."

INEC commended Nigerians for  demonstrating their resolve and commitment to participate in the electoral process and by doing so, contributing to deepening democracy in our country.

The Commission called Nigerians  to maintain the peace as the results of the Governorship and State Assembly elections are being processed, and to accept the official outcomes.

It emphasized that winners can only emerge after collation of the official results and on the basis of the requirements prescribed by the legal framework, urging any aggrieved persons or groups are encouraged to seek redress at the Tribunals. 

The commission reminded all stakeholders that the process is not yet completed and urges restraint in their comments, as it  strive to bring this process to an orderly, peaceful and credible conclusion.