PANDEF Knocks INEC Over Shift In Guber, Assembly Polls

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for shifting the governorship and state assembly elections by one week.

PANDEF in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by its national publicity secretary, Ken Robinson, said the manner INEC postponed the election less than 12 hours after a High Court judgement raised further doubts about the commission’s sincerity and honesty  in the electoral process.

The forum said; “Pan Niger Delta Forum says the manner in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections earlier scheduled for March 11, soon after securing the court’s approval, last Wednesday to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices is rather Machiavellian and raises further doubts about the commission’s sincerity and honesty of purpose in the electoral process.

“PANDEF notes that it was less than 72 hours to the scheduled governorship and state assembly elections before the Court of Appeal, Abuja granted INEC the relieve they sought on the grounds that if not given they won’t be able to hold the elections and they gave the impression that the elections would hold as scheduled, but after the judgment, they suddenly shifted the elections; this has created room for more misgiving.

“It recalls that various reputable organisations, both local and international, had scored the performance of INEC in the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly election as far below expectations.

“It cites that reports of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) defects, INEC’s failure to promptly upload results to its portal from the various polling units across the country, with excuses of technical glitches, undermined the outcome of the electoral process.

“PANDEF insists that these occurrences are totally unacceptable, particularly, given the repeated assurances of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission of free, fair and credible elections; though the same election has resulted in a national assembly that somewhat reflects the new political outlook of the country.

“Accordingly, with the huge amount of tax payers’ money that was disposed to the process, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, should be personally held responsible for the observed lapses and inconsistencies.

“PANDEF further notes that forum’s preferred candidate in the presidential election, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) has also expressed dissatisfaction with the results declared by INEC and is already in court, we shall, therefore, withhold further comments on the subject matter, until a final decision is made by the courts.”