The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has announced that it would conduct the repeat of the re-run elections in Kogi East Senatorial District and that of the two seats of the State Assembly in July.
Mr. Samuel Madaki Usman, the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who was posted to the state for the conduct of the repeat senatorial election, gave this assurance while speaking at the stakeholders meeting held at the INEC headquarters in Lokoja at the weekend.
Usman explained that the stakeholders’ meeting is part of Commission’s effort towards instilling confidence in the people before the conduct of the pending re-run election.
“It is the resolve of the Commission to continue to create level playing field for all players in the electoral process and to be seen to be doing so with the intent to continuously adding value to the process”.
It would be recalled that the election into the Kogi East Senatorial Seat and the two House of Assembly Seats which were conducted twice by INEC have remained inconclusive for several months, a situation which has prevented the people of the zone from having representations at both the national and state assemblies.
To reassure the people, he said that INEC has reiterated its commitment to conduct free ,fair and credible repeat re-run election.
Usman urged all the stakeholders especially the contestants to eschew politics of bitterness and ensure that they play the game by the rules as well as cooperate with the INEC to enable it deliver credible elections.
He assured that the Commission is committed to conducting free, air and credible election, adding that as responsible organisation it would not expose its stakeholders especially voters, officials, observers, media personnel to danger.
He pointed out that the commission would not hesitate to suspend the exercise where there is a clear danger of threat of breakdown of law and order.
Also speaking, Yakubu Usman, State Police Commissioner, assured that the Police Command with other security agencies in the state would provide adequate security before, during and after elections.
The Commissioner who was represented by Mr Samuel Ojo, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, warned that police would not tolerate any act of violence before, during and after the election
It would be recalled that Kogi East Senatorial election and two house of Assembly were declared inconclusive after the February rerun election.
