The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it is ready to conduct re-run elections in 28 Constituencies across 11 states on Saturday 25th January 2020 with 6 involving the entire constituencies while 22 will be held in some polling units.
The elections will be conducted in one Senatorial District out of 109 districts. 12 Federal Constituencies out of 360 Constituencies and 15 State Assembly Constituencies out of 991.
These rerun elections is a fallout of the general elections in 2019 which emanated from 30 court-ordered election petitions of which Ajaokuta Federal Constituency election and the supplementary rerun election for the Kogi West Senatorial District was conducted on 30th November 2019.
INEC’S ABILITY TO CONDUCT CREDIBLE ELECTIONS
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians of credible elections, saying the commission will work with the security agencies to ensure adequate protection of election officials, accredited observers, and the media.
”I wish to assure Nigerians that the commission is ready for the re-run elections. All sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the states, stakeholders ‘meetings have been held, security arrangements are being finalized while training and posting of ad hoc staff has also commenced”
This is ironic as the ability for the electoral umpire to conduct credible elections have been called to question following the Imo governorship elections that led the Supreme Court to admit results from 388 polling units initially excluded by the commission.
Though the figures do not add up just yet and the Supreme Court is yet to clarify the judgment, many have called for the resignation of the INEC Boss who under his watch such irregularities were allegedly conducted.
Secondly, the lack of ability to conduct credible elections is likely after the violence that trailed the 2019 general elections and the Kogi and Bayelsa by-elections where scores were killed amongst other irregularities.
GAMAWA AND AGWARA CONSTITUENCIES
Despite the fact that the time frame for substitution of candidates have elapsed, INEC exempted Gamawa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State as well as Agwara State Constituency in Niger State from the substitution of candidates as the rerun elections will be held without the candidates and parties that were declared winners in the general election.
In November 2019, the Court of Appeal in Jos nullified and ordered fresh elections of Garba Muhammad Gololo, of the All Progressives Congress, representing Gamawa federal constituency of Bauchi State, after Muhammad Wabu of the New Nigerian People’s Party challenged his school degree of qualification alleging that it was forged.
Similarly, the tribunal in Niger state had ruled against the APC and its candidate, Jafaru Mohammed Agwara who won the election in Awara federal consistency and on an appeal filed by the People’s Democratic Party and its Candidate, Abdulrahman Bala Gambo, a rerun was ordered.
INEC REFUSES TO REPLACE AKPABIO
It is in light of barring substitution of candidates of any political party that INEC rejected the new candidate of the ruling APC for Saturday’s rerun elections in Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District, Ekperikpe Ekpo.
The APC took this move when its former candidate for the election in the state, Godswill Akpabio was appointed as the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, but INEC insists that only duly nominated candidates that contested the nullified election are eligible to contest the court-ordered rerun election.
The commission revealed that the timetable for the 2019 general elections has November 17, 2018, as the last day for the withdrawal/substitution of candidates for the 2019 National Assembly elections hence; Senator Godswill Akpabio remains the candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District court-ordered re-run election.
The Court of Appeal in Calabar following Apkabio’s petition nullified the election os Chris Ekpeyoung as the senator representing Akwa Ibom northwest District and ordered INEC to conduct a rerun in Essien Udim Local Government Area.
NEW REC’S
INEC swore in two newly elected state Resident Electoral Commissioners, Alalibo Johnson, the REC officer for Cross Rivers State and Umar Gajiram who was deployed to Taraba State.
Johnson is replacing the former officer, Frankland Briyia, who resigned his position as the state INEC commissioner on August 15, after declaring his intention to contest in the November 16 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State under the APC.While Gajiram is replacing late Baba Yusuf, the former Taraba State REC officer who died in September 2019.
A total of 807 post-election petitions were filed at various tribunals following the 2019 general election. 582 were dismissed, while 183 were withdrawn by the petitioners. The tribunals ordered reruns in 30 and ordered the issuance of certificates of return in 12 cases.
