The Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, Tuesday passed a vote of no confidence on the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, saying the electoral body was recording a fast
decline.
He also said that the syndrome of
vote buying and perceived misuse of security agencies would be the major
challenges of the 2019 general elections.
Ekweremadu stated this in Abuja
when he received a joint high-level delegation of the International Republican
Institute, IRI, and the National Democratic Institute, NDI, Washington DC, USA,
on a preliminary visit to Nigeria ahead of its planned Joint International
Elections Observer Mission during the 2019 general elections.
These reactions followed the
declaration by INEC that the Osun governorship elections held last Saturday was
inconclusive.
According to Ekweremadu, “The
fast-declining independence of the election management body as well as
vote-buying syndrome and misuse of security agencies are the major problems
ahead of the 2019 general elections. INEC is fast declining and descending into
the arena.
“Prior to 2010 electoral reforms,
INEC was barely independent. It was the 2010 Electoral Act and Constitution
amendments that deepened the independence of the electoral body and
strengthened the electoral system as evident in the 2011 and 2015 elections.
“Unfortunately, as we head
towards 2019, there have been a lot of challenges, particularly the challenges
of implementing the existing laws; and this has taken us back to where we were,
instead of making progress.
“INEC needs to exercise the
independence conferred on it by previous electoral reforms to be able to stand
its ground, irrespective of whoever or whichever party that is in government,
whether APC or PDP. It should not tend towards the government that is in power.
“Looking at Osun State, for
instance, an election took place, somebody won from the results declared at the
polling units, ward collation centres, local government collation centres, and
the state collation centre. But contrary to the provisions of our electoral
laws, INEC has asked the people to go back and repeat some of the elections.
That is completely unacceptable.
“Ironically, just recently, we
had instances where similar situations arose in both Kogi and Bauchi, among
others, and winners were declared,” the lawmaker added.
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