Rivers Re-run: Inec Records 70 Incidents Of Deliberate Obstructions To Free And Fair Election

SAN FRANCISCO, December 16, (THEWILL) –The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has revealed that the commission recorded 70 incidents of deliberate process to disrupt the rerun election in Rivers State.

Speaking at a World Press Conference on Friday , Yakubu said he is too big to be intimidated or influenced by anybody declaring that the commission will prosecute all those involved in the crisis that rocked the December 10 legislative rerun elections in the state.

“Once again, the overwhelming blight on the December 10, 2016 elections is the level of violence and thuggery and there were no less than 70 incidents of deliberate obstruction of the electoral process were recorded,” he revealed.

“Election duty personnel were harassed, abducted and physically assaulted. On election eve, thugs disrupted the delivery of election materials to the Registration Area Centres (RACs), a situation that prevented early deployment to the polling units on Election Day.

“Indeed, in many instances, we had to deploy directly from the local government areas to the Polling Units (PUs) contrary to our plans.”

He insisted that neither he nor the commission has ever received instructions or come under any form of intimidation from any group or individual adding that that all those involved in election conflicts will not go unpunished in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

The INEC chief urged the Federal Government to consider the Justice Mohammed Uwais and Lemu Reform report for improvement of electoral process adding that the commission was thinking of introducing online registration for voters.

Story by Oputah David