Bayelsa/Kogi decide: Results in volatile areas will be rejected – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye has said that election
results from polling units where cases of ballot box-snatching were recorded may be cancelled.

There were instances of violence, ballot snatching and intimidation during the conduct of governorship and senatorial election in the
Kogi state on Saturday.

Okoye said results from volatile polling units could be cancelled depending on reports from the presiding officer in such units.

He added that the commission had yet to be informed by the Peoples Democratic Party that Governor Yahaya Bello and the All
Progressives Congress were allegedly forcing staff of INEC to sign prefilled results.

He said, “If there were areas where ballot box-snatching was reported, the presiding officer is expected to write a report on such incident to the Electoral Officer stating the issues concerned and how they fill into the guidelines.

“The report from the presiding officers from such units will help the commission to determine whether the results from such units will be cancelled outrightly or whether a rerun will be ordered or whether the unit will be awarded a zero score.

“Until such a report is received from the officers on the field, the commission will not make a decision on it.”

“We have some Resident and National Commissioners and other senior staff of the commission on the field. They are doing their job in accordance with the law.

“We are not aware of such an incident (that Bello and INEC were forcing INEC staff to sign prefilled results) and if such an incident
is taking place, there will be a report because we have some Resident Electoral Commissioners supervising a cluster of Local Government Areas.” Punch