20110408
This Day

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, Thursday postponed Senate and House of Representatives elections in 15 senatorial districts and 48 federal constituencies across 27 states of the federation.

Elections into the affected senatorial districts and federal constituencies, he said, would hold on April 26, alongside the polls for the governors and state Assembly members.

Jega said the shift became imperative because "...in some areas, a good quantity of ballot papers had been used and it is not possible to reprint enough replacement ballot papers before elections".

In addition to the reprinting of more ballot papers, he said in a few constituencies, names of political parties and logos were missing on the ballot papers.

He blamed it on human error that crept into the process during the compilation of the names of qualified candidates and parties for the election. He also blamed the incidence on what he called several judicial pronouncements over party nominations.

Jega said: "The challenges dictate that fresh ballot papers be printed prior to conducting the elections."

He said given the security requirements of printing ballot papers and the inability of domestic and international companies to deliver on time, it became imperative that sufficient time be given for the elections.

He said: "...it has become inevitable to postpone elections in a few affected constituencies."

The electoral boss said the postponed elections affected only 14 per cent of all senatorial districts and 13 per cent of federal constituencies.

According to him, senatorial election would not take place tomorrow in Bayelsa Central; Benue North; Cross River South and Cross River Central; Ebonyi North; Ekiti Central, Ekiti North and Ekiti South; Gombe North; Kaduna North; Niger South; Plateau North, Plateau Central and Plateau South; and Sokoto North.

Similarly, the exercise has been put on hold till April 26 in the following Federal constituencies: Akoko Edo (Edo State); Aniocha, Oshimili, Ethiope East, Ethiope West and Bomadi/Patani (Delta State); Abi-Yakurr (Cross River); Isialangwa North, Isialangwa South, (Abia); Ukanafu/Orun (Akwa Ibom); and Anambra East and Anambra West, Nnewi/ Ekwusigo and Oyi/Anyamelu, (Anambra).

Others are Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo (Ebonyi); Ado-Ekiti/Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ido/Osi/Moba/Ilejemeje, Ijero/Ekiti West/Efon and Ikole Oye (Ekiti); Yamaltu/Deba, Kaltungo/Shongom and Dikku/ Nafada (Gombe); Okigwe/ Iheme/Mbanu (Imo); Taura/ Ringim (Jigawa); Ikara/Kubau, Kachia/Kagarko, Kauru, Markarfi/Kudan, Zango/Kataf/ Soba (Kaduna); and Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun (Kwara).

The postponement also affects Dala, Gwarzo/Kabo and Karaye/Rogo (Kano); Ifako/Ijaye, Shomolu and Ikorodu (Lagos); Keffi/Kokona/Karu (Nasarawa); Bida/Gbako/Katcha and Lavun/ Edasi/Mokwa (Niger); Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode 1, Odeda, Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North-East, Egbado South/ Ipokia, Ijebu North/Ijegu North East/Ogun Water Side and Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North (Ogun); Ibadan NW/SW (Oyo); Jos North/Bassa, and Pankshin/ Kanke/Kanam (Plateau); Port Harcourt 2 (Rivers); and Anka/T. Mafara, Zurmi/Shinkafi (Zamfara).

He said this means that elections would take place tomorrow in 86 per cent and 87 per cent of senatorial districts and federal constituencies respectively.

According to the INEC boss, elections to the affected constituencies would hold on Tuesday, April 26, together with the governorship and state Assembly elections.

He pleaded for peaceful exercise and urged voters to be orderly while they step out to cast their votes.

"I appeal to political parties to implore their supporters to eschew violence. We are working closely with the security agencies to arrest political thugs."

Jega also warned underage voters to keep away from the polling centres and reminded them that security agents had been directed to arrest such category of persons for appropriate actions.

He appealed to parents of underage children and community leaders not to allow their wards to indulge in "this illegal act".

He also pleaded with governors to observe the rule of not giving arms and said: "We also noticed last Saturday that some governors did not comply with the appeal to them not to move around with their orderlies during the elections. We recognise that governors are the chief executives of their states, but the security agencies would strictly enforce compliance of the directive."

Answering questions on possible voter apathy following last Saturday's postponement, he said: "We will do our best to revive hope in the process. The good thing is that there are still many who feel confident. It is better to have a postponed election than to have a flawed election. That was what guided our decision to shift the poll."

On the identity of contractors on ballot papers, he said: "We are being very cautious on this matter."

Justifying the commission's preference for foreign printers, he said: "We discussed with local and international printers and we came to the conclusion that they (local printers) would not be able to produce on time... They need two weeks to be able to produce.

"We have told the parties about the problems of logo and missing names. International observers are already deploying staff. They have been supportive."

He assured Nigerians that the commission had adequate arrangement for transportation.

"We have made arrangement for additional vehicles. We have up to 600 vehicles. Our objective is to get a vehicle per local government but we were unable to meet it but have provided money to officials to ensure swift transport. It is a misnomer to see materials being carried on 'Okada'," he said.

In Ekiti, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has rejected the further postponement of elections into the National Assembly in all the three Central districts and four Federal constituencies of the state.

The ACN, in a statement signed by the chairman of the party in the state, Chief Jide Awe, lambasted INEC for its inability to hold elections in most parts of the state.

According to him, the excuse by INEC on the need to print ballot papers to include that of the missing NTP logo was not tenable as the party, NTP, is not known and does not exist in Ekiti.

"As a matter of fact, elections held in the North and Southern Senatorial districts of the state last week and INEC never talked about missing NTP logo then. Hence the excuse on the missing NTP logo, a party that has no candidate in Ekiti State, as a reason for the shift in the date cannot stand.

"We suspect some bad eggs in the legal department of INEC, acting in consonance with some desperate members of the opposition to throw the state into chaos with the avoidable shift in date," he said.

Awe insisted that the electoral body must hold elections in all the three and six National Assembly districts and constituencies in the state tomorrow postpone all the elections till a later date but must hold same day.

He alleged that INEC had created enough confusion in the state already with the initial shift in date, noting that the further postponement had raised issues about the credibility and ability of the electoral body to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

"INEC should either conduct all the National Assembly elections in Ekiti on Saturday April 9, or postpone all the elections to a later date, the new arrangement as announced by the chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, is capable of causing confusion amongst the electorate," Awe said.