INEC does not rig elections – Anambra REC

By Vincent Ujumadu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Anambra State, Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, has defended the electoral body, insisting that INEC does not person the capableness to rig elections.

Agwu made the remark successful Awka portion speaking arsenic a peculiar impermanent astatine a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization store connected Mandate Protection up of the November 8 Anambra governorship election. The lawsuit was organized by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room successful concern with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), with enactment from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

She argued that politicians are usually the ones who effort to manipulate the process, and erstwhile they fail, they crook astir to blasted INEC.

“INEC is conscionable a tiny point successful the large electoral process. The Police, Army, Civil Defence, FRSC and others are each involved. We person returning officers for the state, 21 section governments, 326 wards, and each polling booths. These are advertisement hoc workers.

On predetermination day, you won’t spot INEC officials outside. We lone spot the effect expanse once, erstwhile results from each locations are collated. The information is, wealth exchanges hands during elections, and it is instigated by politicians. When idiosyncratic loses, they outcry that INEC has rigged them out. We are destroying ourselves successful the sanction of politics,” she said.

Agwu besides faulted the accuracy of the voters register, noting that successful the past, names were indiscriminately dumped into it, resulting successful shade entries. She explained that this was portion of the crushed wherefore elector turnout percentages person remained low.

She stressed that “those who beryllium determination to constitute results are wasting their clip due to the fact that specified results tin ne'er find their mode into the authentic effect sheets.”

In his contribution, predetermination advisor to the CDD, Mr. Chibuike Mgbeahurike, expressed interest implicit the mediocre information of stakeholders successful the electoral process, which helium said had contributed to anomalies.

According to him: “I don’t cognize the past clip we were served with a credible predetermination successful this country. Look astatine Anambra: alternatively of telling the radical however they mean to serve, politicians are engaged attacking each other. Even voters present accidental they won’t ballot unless they are paid, and this is due to the fact that politicians person failed to sensitize them.”

He stressed the request for greater governmental enlightenment, grassroots-focused campaigns, and progressive mandate extortion to reconstruct credibility to Nigeria’s elections.

Discussions astatine the store covered electoral security, elector authentication and verification, prevention and detection of malpractice, and transparency successful predetermination monitoring.

The station INEC does not rig elections – Anambra REC appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.