- INEC said it has complied with the election tribunal to make materials available to petitioners
- The Akwa Ibom chapter of the electoral body claimed it was being blackmailed
- The resident electoral commissioner said those involved in rigging are accusing them of irregularities
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that those who rigged elections in the past to get into government are the ones accusing the commission of irregularities.
The Nation reports that Mike Igini who is the resident electoral commissioner in Akwa Ibom spoke at a conference.
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He said INEC was being blackmailed by those who are used to rigging election.
Igini was reacting to allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC), and its lawyers, that INEC was preventing it from accessing and inspecting electoral materials.
He said: “Akwa Ibom is the only state where the opposition is complaining of being denied access to materials but the complaints are deliberate. Those with a history of election rigging are the ones accusing the commission. The complainants cannot compare what happened in 2011 and 2015 to the 2019 elections.”
The commissioner said they complied with the tribunal to make available to petitioners, certified copies of election materials, and also to be open to petitioners.
He said: “The APC governorship candidate’s lawyer, Victor Iyanam, informed the commission of the tribunal’s order on April 25, and was told to return the next day so that INEC’s legal team could jointly work out the inspection schedule, but he never turned up.
“Now, in between the waiting time, Iyanam already granted news conferences and issued statements, accusing the commission of denying them access to materials. But this is untrue. We are committed to the electoral accountability to ensure electoral justice.”
Meanwhile, Governor Rochas Okorocha filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him a certificate of return as a senator-elect.
Leadership reports the governor who filed the suit through his counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), on Tuesday, April 30, is seeking a court order compelling the electoral body INEC, to issue him a certificate of return as the validly elected senator for Imo west senatorial district.
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Source: Legit.ng
