Electoral Violence Overhang Rivers’ Rerun - INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday confirmed it would conclude the March 19, 2016, rerun elections in Rivers State in October alleging that it was disturbed with the fact that the people of the state had no representation at the national assembly till date.
While speaking in Port Harcourt during a meeting with stakeholders and the 28 political parties in the state, the INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Operations, Mrs. Amina Zakari, disclosed that the commission would not extend the completion of the rerun election further than October, although no actual date have been slated for the poll.

Zakari said if the security challenges in the state were fixed on time, the commission would complete the election quickly, while calling on the political actors in the state to cooperate with the electoral body in order to achieve the completion of the rerun election.

In her words: “We are working tirelessly to ensure that this election that was suspended in some local governments is concluded. We are looking at completing the elections within October. The first week of October is out of it because that week we would celebrate our independence.

“The meeting was convened in order to evolve a way to complete the election. Because the election was more of a war, we also need to cool ourselves as well as plan new strategies.

“We don’t have a stake in the election; we are only to support democracy to survive in our country. We are giving that period to ensure that we are prepared.''

“We call on politicians to ensure a proper atmosphere for the election to be concluded. Election was suspended at the collation level in some areas just as it was suspended at the post-collation stage in some others.

She also pointed out that election was suspended at the unit level in some areas as a result of the non-availability of election materials.