.jpg "A think tank in Abuja begs Tinubu and INEC to guarantee fair elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa")
The groups stressed the need to ensure that off-season elections do not worsen the insecurity crises in the states.
They alleged that oftentimes, these security problems have been leveraged by incumbents to rig elections in order to remain in power.
Speaking at a policy roundtable with the theme ‘Towards governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa’ at the weekend uin Abuja, Executive Director of ASSPT, Dr Sam Amadi observed some of these states Like Imo, are under serious security threat in terms of the recent sad incidence of killing of Nigerian soldiers adding that if elections are manipulated as have always been, it could spike into new levels of insecurity particularly in Imo State.
Amadi alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) And we know So, this workshop is to examine the nexus between insecurity, INEC’s demonstrated failings and the quality of free and fair election in these three states, particularly, in Imo State where the insecurity seems to have worsened after the 2020 election when the Supreme Court removed the then governor then and declared the current governor winner.
He said, “So,this workshop is to examine the nexus between insecurity, INEC’s demonstrated failures in the quality of free and fair election in these three states, particularly, in Imo State where you might say out of the three, is now the most traumatized with insecurity and where the insecurity seems to have worsened after 2020 when the Supreme Court removed the governor then and declared the current governor winner.
The issues for us today is what do we need to do, We have also got reports about alleged manipulation by the Resident Electoral Officer and other EOs.
Three days ago, four parties were reportedly in protest at the INEC office in Imo State, demanding the removal of the State Resident Electoral Commissioner and some of the officers who they alleged had been involved in manipulation together with the State incumbent and the incumbent is running in the election.
So the question then is, is it not time for extreme action to be taken considering the level of insecurity in that state to change, to ensure that the election will be free and fair? What necessary measures that the Security adviser himself, the Resident Electoral Officer and Mr President should take to guarantee that first, the electoral officers that will be on ground in these states are going to be impartial and that those who have been indicted or those who have serious allegations like in Imos state should be removed.
Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi of Baze University in Abuja emphasized the necessity for INEC to improve the credibility of the polls in order to prevent the democratic process from being jeopardized.