The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has discovered 19 illegal polling units in Akwa Ibom State. Some of the polling units were located in hotels, churches, and mosques, among others, in Obot Akara and Uyo local government areas.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, disclosed at Enlarged Stakeholders’ Forum in Uyo, the state capital, yesterday. Igini said that INEC found that the polling units were located in violation of its guidelines. He stated that there was the need to relocate and rename some polling units in the state.
The REC, however, urged the people not to see the relocation of the polling units as a creation of new polling units, stressing that that no new polling units had been created. He said the essence of the forum was “to enable us see face to face and interact freely.”
“We are here to present the commission electoral plan and strategic implementation plan, hear from you and carefully consider the concerns and ideas of everyone on how we can serve you better,” he said.
He cautioned politicians who might have plans to rig the 2019 general elections to desist because INEC has evolved beyond rigging. Igini said INEC had “advanced to a level where everything is tracked.” “We must conduct an election that will be accepted by the people without recourse to the tribunals.
We have done it elsewhere and we will do it here. “You are going to have little or minimal petitions. Election is a time where the independence and integrity of institutions like INEC, security agencies and judiciary are tested.”
He also said the forum was organised as an opportunity to engage stakeholders of all political persuasions and have a robust engagement. The REC advised leaders of political parties in the state to talk to their party members on the need for them to ensure strict adherence to the code of conduct of the electoral acts. He stressed the need for political parties to commence the process of identifying committed party members to serve as agents during the general elections. Igini assured that the forthcoming election would not tolerate or accommodate thugry in the state.
“Campaign messages should encapsulate the principles of accommodation, decency and with strict adherence to the rule of law,” he said. He emphasised that the best way to win the forthcoming general elections was to mobilise supporters to get their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). Igini, however, noted that collection of PVCs in the state is just at 50 per cent, a development he described as very low.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, pledged the neutrality of the police to ensure that all forms of intimidation on the electorate were eliminated during and after the exercise. He said that the Command had strategized ways to train security personnel on what was required of them before, during and after the elections. The police boss warned against any form of intimidation or harm against corps members deployed to the polling units.
