Adamawa: Over 50,000 Excess Voters’ Cards Uncovered At INEC Office

[TGD]

 A MILD drama ensued at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) state headquarters in Adamawa State when about 54,860 excess voters' cards were recorded during distribution of sensitive materials for today's governorship election in the state.  

The Guardian reliably gathered that the discovery prompted protest from representatives of some political parties, who called for the destruction of the excess voting materials to stem rigging.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Kassim Gana Gaidam, while confirming the discovery of the excess voters' cards, however, resolved that they be kept at INEC store, during which reserve keys were handed over to parties to ensure that no one tampered with them.

He dismissed any insinuation that the excess cards were deliberately included to rig the election in favour of any political party and its candidate, describing it as human error.

He said: "It could have been a human and technical error during the counting process. Thank God the distribution of this sensitive material was done in an open and transparent manner.

"We all, including party officials, have resolved that the excess cards be kept in our store and they have the keys to avoid tampering."

Also confirming the development, state chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Alhaji Ibrahim Bappa Waziri, Legal Adviser, Mr. Sanda Lamorde and Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN's) legal adviser, who were at the INEC office, vowed to keep vigil over the excess cards.

"About 54,860 excess voters' cards were found, a situation that bleeds our hearts. But we will monitor the election religiously, so as to avoid being rigged out," Waziri said.

Lamorde stressed: "There is need for a thorough investigation of these excess voters' cards to ascertain the actual votes to be cast, in line with one-man one-vote promised by INEC."

The CPC chairman, during the stakeholders meeting on Wednesday with INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, alleged that some members of staff of the commission were working with one of the parties to rig the polls.

There have been concerns over the years about the security of voting materials, the continual oversupply of which, many believe, is often part of plans to rig election in favour of a particular candidate or party.

It has been a subject of litigations at election tribunals, including that of the presidential election of 2007.

Contesting in today's election are the immediate past governor of the state, Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); former Lagos and Borno States military administrator, Brigadier-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Congress for Progressive Change, CPC); Mr. Markus Gundiri of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN); Hajiya Zainab Kwonche (African Democratic Congress, ADC) and Mrs. Lilian Musa of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

But the contest is among Nyako, Marwa and Gundiri.

The election, which had been shifted twice due to security concerns over Boko Haram attacks, comes barely one week after a Supreme Court judgment that sacked five state governors from office, including Nyako, over tenure elongation.



The Guardian