•Says voter apathy will soar if INEC is not unbundled, reformed

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) says that the shameful electoral malpractices that trailed last weekend’s off-cycle polls in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi, could trigger mass boycott of subsequent elections unless the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is unbundled and reformed.

HURIWA said that part of the reform process to reposition the electoral management body would entail a wholesome overhaul of the legal frameworks on the constitution of the membership of the management of INEC to isolate and free the Electoral umpire totally from the stranglehold of the Executive arm of government.

The group suggested that appointments of INEC Chairman and its Commissioners should go through public scrutiny, with an independent body of patriots to be drawn from the public and private sectors confirming such appointments.

The association described the speed with which election results in Imo State were collated and announced even when no election took place in about four local government areas in Orlu and Okigwe Senatorial Zones, showed that INEC has persisted in electoral crimes because of past impunity.

It cited a report by YIAGA Africa which monitored the election in Imo state and reported that cases of unverified results uploaded by INEC further claimed that these cases were prevalent in Orsu, Okigwe, Oru East, and Orlu LGAs. Yiaga said it monitored the upload of results on the IReV, especially those from polling units where elections did not hold.

For Orsu LGA in Imo, Yiaga Africa’s WTV observers reported that the election did not take place in nine sampled polling units in the LGA. There were speculations that INEC may have relocated all polling units to the LGA headquarters on election day.

HURIWA recalled that Yiaga Africa said voters in Orsu LGA were not informed of the change in polling unit location and INEC failed to issue an official statement on the supposed temporary relocation of polling units.

In Okigwe LGA, Yiaga Africa observers reported that elections did not occur in eight sampled polling units. “In Oru East LGA, the election was not held in eight of Yiaga Africa’s sampled polling units,” the CSO added. “In addition, elections were not held in seven of our sampled polling units in Orlu LGA and in one (1) of our sampled polling units each in Ideato North, Ikeduru, Oru West and Owerri West LGAs.”

“INEC is populated by far too many electoral robbers so much so that it will take clinical overhauling of the personnel and the injection of incorruptible and patriotic electoral managers, for prospective voters not to boycott enmasse, any other election to be conducted by the present INEC that is severely ethically challenged and corrupt. INEC as presently constituted, is deeply infested by the bug and virus of corruption and inefficiency.”

In a media statement by HURIWA, the group canvassed that all committed patriots and lovers of constitutional democracy, must add their voices, to canvass immediate, comprehensive, legal and management unbundling and reforms in the election management body before irreparable damage is done to the psyche and mindsets of registered voters who have faced serial disappointments due to the criminal conduct of the past general and off-cycle polls in the country by this same mindlessly corrupt and lawless INEC as presently constituted.”

The statement, by Its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, condemned INEC for allegedly “stealing” the gubernatorial election in Imo State for All Progressives Congress (APC).

The group described the Imo November 11 guber poll“as a total sham of an election,” as it added that from abundance of evidence, observers noted that as at the time results were announced, IREV was saying only one LGA result has been completed, but INEC had gone ahead to announce the results of the remaining 26 LGAs.

“What exactly has happened in Imo? Is like APC has bought the mandate this time, not given by the people! Where then is the sincerity of INEC?”HURIWA queried.

The group then tasked the hierarchy of INEC to explain to Nigerians, what exactly hashappened to all the promises it made before the poll. “Why did the security operatives connive with non-state actors to truncate the voting process in some of the LGAs? And then, where did INEC get the results it announced for LGAS like Orsu where the election did not hold at all?,” the group further probed.

“Then again, how come INEC could quickly collate election results in 27 LGAs of Imo State and declare a winner when it has not been able to collate election results in just 8 local governments in Bayelsa State more than 24hrs after voting ended and still hasn’t achieved that by 12 noon on Monday? Isn’t money-influenced politics at play again? These fundamental posers must be responded to,” HURIWA insisted.

It similarly criticised the indecisiveness of INEC in Kogi State for telling Nigerians that the election in many polling units were marred by irregularities and therefore a re-run election was imminent. But shortly afterwards, INEC awarded victory to Ahmed Usman Ododo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who had emerged winner in the estimation of INEC, of the Kogi State governorship election with a total of 446,237 votes. Besides, there were acknowledged cases of pre-written result of Kogi gubernatorial election in circulation before the Saturday election in which the All Progressive Congress candidate was assigned by INEC as the winner or an election that was yet to take place and eventually, INEC proceeded to railroad the same candidate as the winner of their sham of an off-cycle poll in Kogi State.

The Rights group expressed shock that the formal declaration by the Returning Officer, Prof. Johnson Urame, occurred at approximately 10:25 pm on Sunday night, just as notably, INEC had initially considered declaring the election inconclusive due to electoral irregularities, particularly in Ogori Magongo local government area, where the exercise faced suspension.

The Rights group then wondered that subsequently, INEC announced the suspension of the governorship election in certain locations where result sheets were pre-recorded before the voting commenced. In response, INEC suggested the possibility of fresh elections on Saturday, November 18, 2023, in the affected Polling Units of nine wards in Ogori Magongo LGA.

HURIWA said the information of a postponement was conveyed in a statement issued on Sunday evening by INEC National Commissioner and member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna. Ironically, the electoral umpire contradicted themselves by asserting that the prospect of a rerun hinged on the application of the Margin of Lead Principle by the Returning Officer for the governorship election.

HURIWA recalled that in what is one of the 8 wonders of the World, INEC then asserted that the earlier envisaged rerun aimed at allowing the 15,136 voters to cast their votes was put aside following the overwhelming lead of Ododo which they argued made the rerun a theoretical exercise. With Ododo’s lead surpassing this margin, the APC candidate was then declared the winner and governor-elect of Kogi State.

HURIWA carpeted INEC for announcing the Kogi result even after it had fixed Saturday, November 18, for elections to be conducted in 59 polling units in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, a decision that INEC spokesman, Mohammed Haruna, conveyed in a media statement on Sunday night.

HURIWA said that in the interest of constitutional democracy,President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly must put their personal political ambitions aside and resolve to deliver to Nigerians, the long sought-after critical reforms of INEC so that registered voters would not be permanently driven away by the serial electoral misconduct of INEC, to totally stop their participation in subsequent elections in the country which would inevitably lead to the end of democracy in the Nigeria.