The Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) has fixed tomorrow for the conduct of supplementary governorship election in the 44 affected polling units across Adamawa State.
The resident electoral commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Kassim Gaidam, disclosed this at a press conference in Yola yesterday.
Gaidam said the new date followed a Yola High Court injunction vacating the earlier order restraining INEC from conducting the runoff governorship election earlier slated for March 23 in the state.
The re-run elections he reiterated, would be conducted in 44 affected polling units as earlier announced by Prof Andrew Haruna, the Returning Officer for the governorship elections.
He insisted that only eligible voters would be allowed to cast their ballot during the forthcoming re-run election.
The Adamawa REC added that no fewer 358 workers, two RECs and other electoral officers from INEC headquarters would be deployed to ensure hitch free supplementary election.
The commission, he said, would hold a stakeholders’ meeting later in the day towards ensuring a smooth conduct of the polls.
He further stated that sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the elections had already arrived in the state and would be moved to the 44 units in good time and under tight security cover on the day of the poll.
…Withholds Certificates Of Return Of Zamfara Gov, Lawmakers-elect
Meanwhile, the electoral body yesterday said it would not issue certificates of return to Zamfara State governor-elect, Mukhtar Shehu Idris, and all the state House of Assembly members-elect.
INEC said its decision came after it received an Appeal Court judgement in Sokoto which held that there was no primary election in the state ahead of the general elections.
However, the Commission said it was still studying the judgement.
It would be recalled that INEC had written the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, informing him that the party should not expect to present candidates in Zamfara State for failing to conduct primary elections.
It said its officials were in the state at the appointed time but that primary elections were not conducted. But Oshiomhole replied, insisting that primary elections were conducted, and the party went to court.
LEADERSHIP reports that the one-week postponement of the 2019 general election by INEC gave the party the opportunity to present candidates in the elections after securing a court judgement in their favour from a state high court..
But other parties on the issue went for an appeal and the court reaffirmed INEC’s earlier stand that there was no primary election in Zamfara State.
INEC in its verified twitter handle @inecnigeria said it had been served with the judgement and was currently studying it.
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“Consequently, the presentation of certificates of return for the Zamfara governorship and State House of Assembly scheduled for Wednesday, March 27 has been suspended,” it tweeted.
. . . Declines Comment On Server Hacking
Meanwhile, the commission yesterday said it would not respond to allegations of hacking of its server during the 2019 general elections.
According to INEC, the matter is already before the court of law and making a comment on it had legal implications.
Responding to LEADERSHIP’s inquiry yesterday over allegations that the commission’s server was hacked during the elections, INEC chairman’s spokesman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said, “You know the matter is in court so we can’t discuss on that now,”Oyekanmi said.
Since comments accredited to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, emerged that INEC server showed he won the 2019 election, many Nigerians have been alleging that INEC’s server might have been compromised.
On Monday, the governing APC urged the federal government to probe both Atiku and his party, PDP, over their alleged illegal access to the INEC server.
Court Rules On Rivers Election Tomorrow
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned a case on the governorship election in Rivers State till tomorrow 28 for ruling.
Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date following an ex parte motion by the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers, Mr Biokpomabo Awara.
In the motion, Awara urged the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from concluding the collation and announcement of the result of the poll.
He claimed that he was the clear winner of the March 9 governorship election in Rivers, having won 15 of the 23 local government areas in the state.
Justice Ekwo had, during the last sitting on the suit, refused to grant the motion as requested by the AAC candidate, saying it had been overtaken by events.
The adjournment came four days after INEC released a timeline for the governorship and state assembly elections in the state.
INEC’s national commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, had told reporters on Thursday last week that the electoral body would resume the collation and announcement of results in Rivers State between April 2 and 5.
He added that INEC would conduct supplementary election where necessary, and in some constituencies not affected by litigation on April 13.
Okoye also said the issuance of all outstanding certificates of return would be concluded on April 19 while INEC would hold an inter-agency security meeting on March 29.
