The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday issued Certificate of Return to State House of Assembly members-elect, Governor and Deputy Governor-elect of Enugu State.
Receiving the certificate at the INEC office in Enugu, Governor Ifeanyi Uguwanyi re-iterated his commitment to continue to deliver quality and selfless service to the citizens.
The governor, who commended God for making his re-election possible, assured to serve the people with fear of God.
He said, “We thank God that it has ended in praise. This shows that truly Enugu is in the hands of God. All we do in Enugu, we give God glory, honour and adoration. We assure not to disappoint Enugu people that gave us this mandate as we shall work to deliver dividends of democracy to the poeple.”
Ugwuanyi also commended INEC for conducting peaceful, free and credible election in the state, saying, “We thank INEC for delivering credible election as well as all stakeholders including security agencies that made the peaceful election possible. We also thank th people of Enugu who are the hero of our democracy for their support.”
Meanwhile, the National Commissioner of Independent National Electiral Commision (INEC) in charge of Enugu, Ebonyi and Benue states, Mr. Festus Okoye, has unveiled the plan of the commission to embark on aggressive constitutional and electoral reform to enhance the integrity of the electoral process.
Okoye, who also doubles as the Chairman, Information and Voter Education, said, “It is very clear that some of the provisions in the constitution and Electoral Act must be realigned to meet the expectations of our people. The commission will take a second look at the timelines for the disposal of pre-election matters and propose to the National Assembly a timeline that leads to the disposal of all pre-election matters to the holding of elections.
He said that the commission could no longer afford to plan in an uncertain environment on account of inability to anticipate what may likely happen in court with the nomination processes of political parties.
He also disclosed the plan of the commission to consider the duality of electronic and manual collation and transmission of results to prevent and avoid the storming of collation centres by political thugs in search of results.
“However, endless, fanciful and unenforceable constitutional and electoral reform initiatives will not solve the challenge of trust and credibility deficit in our electoral process. While the commission acknowledges the need for constitutional and electoral renewal, the greater challenges lies in the bad electoral behaviour of a section of the political class.
“A section of the political class has refused to imbibe the democratic spirit that puts obedience and respect to constitutional dictates at the epicenter of the electoral process. We must support the electoral management body to deliver on its mandate.
He thereby advised the Governor and Deputy Governor-elect as well as the State House of Assembly members-elect to improve the standard of the living of the electorate by delivering selfless service to the poeple .
He said, “The sealed certificate of Return that will be presented to you is not a trophy that marks the conclusion of your service. Rather it marks the beginning of your service to the people. The validity of the certificates rests with the people of Enugu state. It is within their constitutional mandate to renew, withdraw and of elevate it. The keyword is service to the people.”
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, had stated that with the issuance of certificate of Return, the Commission would round off all election activities with a multi-stakeholders post-election review meeting which, according to him, will enable the entire stakeholders appraise what went right or wrong as well as what steps will be required to sustain the good ones and amend those things that went wrong.
“INEC Enugu will now be saddled with post-election activities which will include reverse logistics and tribunal matters. Just as we promised before the election, we are also making a firm promise that in the post-election activities, INEC will be open, fair but firm.
He thereby commended political parties, traditional leaders, security agencies among other stakeholders for the support accorded the commission during the election, saying, “In 2017, we made a promise on behalf of INEC staff and management to abide by the Commission’s values and its statutory functions, one of which is to be fair to all.
“Today, the journey has ended in peace with all the promises of fairness, openness and neutrality intact. It was a tortuous journey that did not come at zero cost but it is also a journey that the entire nation is poised to learn from Enugu. It is clear today that in any election journey, if the destination is clear and well spelt out, the expected result will be achieved without huge challenges. We set out for 2019 general election with clear vision which resulted to one of the best elections in Nigeria,” he added.