INEC To Politicians: ‘You Can’t Rig This Election’

[TGD]

 Senator, Rep Clash Over 'Territorial' Incursion

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday warned politicians that they could not rig the governorship election in Kogi State.

The cautioning followed allegation by some members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that thumb-printed ballot papers were discovered in Ayegunle Gbede in West Senatorial District of the state.

A National Commissioner with the INEC, Mrs. Gladys Nnenwofor, who spoke to journalists at Ijowa-Isanlu in Yagba East council declared that, "rigging is impossible in this election."

She said the electoral body had taken bold steps to forestall such malpractices.

She noted that in the bid to forestall such occurrences, the INEC customized the ballot papers for each local government area and that no two councils had the same ballot papers.

The INEC commissioner, however, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election.

"We have visited two out of the four LGAs that we are supposed to visit and what we have seen so far is impressive; I was even surprised by the turn out of the electorate," she said.

According to her, INEC was prepared to give Nigeria a very credible election.

Meanwhile, members of the National Assembly— a senator from one of the three senatorial districts in Kogi State and a member of the House of Representatives from one of the Southwest States yesterday clashed over what the senator described as "unwarranted incursion by a most distinguished honourable Member of Parliament into another autonomous entity."

The said lawmaker, who belongs to a leading opposition party, comes from the Yoruba axis of Kogi but won his election in April to represent a federal constituency in Lagos State.

He reportedly relocated to his birthplace to help his party in yesterday's governorship poll held in Kogi.

The senator, who received calls from loyalists that alerted him of the activities of the "foreigner", promptly reacted by calling the Rep to order.

The senator admonished the Rep, reminding him that his action was capable of landing him in trouble, possibly suspension from the Parliament.

However, the Rep reportedly denied that his presence in his home state was for election purposes.



The Guardian