The Bayelsa state government has
asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reshedule the
state’s governorship election slated for November 2, 2019.
Gboribiogha Jonah, deputy
governor of Bayelsa, made the demand when he led a delegation of the state
government on a courtesy visit to INEC head office in Abuja on Tuesday.
Jonah said the election should be
rescheduled as it clashes with the state’s annual thanksgiving.
He expressed difficulty in
changing the date for the annual thanksgving which according to him is backed
by law.
The INEC chairman also said the
commission will soon commence the prosecution of electoral offenders “whose
case files have been prepared by the Nigeria police.”
He also called on the people of
Bayelsa and Kogi states to ensure the upcoming governorship polls are devoid of
any violence and other malpractices.
He said: “May I seize this
opportunity to appeal to all stakeholders in Bayelsa and Kogi states to ensure
that the forthcoming governorship elections are devoid of hate speech,
intimidation of voters and INEC officials, vote buying, violence including
bombing and arson that led to the destruction of election materials and INEC
facilities in the last Governorship elections.
“I urge you to appeal to your
supporters to ensure that the creeks and waterways, the hills and forests,
urban and rural areas, the polling units and collation centres are free of
thugs who unleash mayhem that turn a simple democratic process into needless
bloodletting.”
The INEC chairman also spoke on
the commission’s commitment to ensuring the polls are free and transparent.
“We will deploy early, adhere to
our guidelines and regulations and ensure a transparent and prompt collation
and declaration of results,” he said.
“May I also appeal to all
political parties to ensure the conduct of transparent, credible and
rancour-free primaries for the nomination of candidates.
“From the 2019 general elections,
we have seen how acrimonious party primaries have been, resulting in numerous
litigations and making our preparations for elections difficult.”
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