7th April, 2011
The Independent National Election Commission Chairman; Prof Attahiru Jega, late Thursday evening at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja stated that the rescheduled National Assembly election slated to take place on Saturday 9 April, will not take place nation wide.
Briefing newsmen for the first time since last Saturday’s botched polls, the INEC boss stated that senatorial elections will not take place in 15 out of the 109 senatorial districts across the nation while 48 Federal constituencies out of the 360 Federal Constituencies in the country will not witness any polls next Saturday.
The National Assembly election will now take place in these affected Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies on Thursday 26th April, 2011 alongside the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
In all, the suspended polls will affect about 14 per cent of all Senatorial Districts and 13 per cent of Federal Constituencies.
The affected Senatorial areas are as follows:
In Anambra state, election for the members of the House of Representatives will not take place in Anambra East and West, Nnewi/ Ekwusigo, Oyi/ Anyamelu Federal Constituencies. The reasons for this include the need to reprint ballot papers as a significant quantity were used in last Saturday’s botched polls in spite of the suspension of elections as well as to include missing Accord Party, Congress for Democratic Change (CPC) AND CDC logos.
In Bayelsa, the only affected part is Bayelsa Central Senatorial District where ballot papers need to be reprinted to include missing APGA logo while in Benue state, the Benue North Senatorial District as well as Gwer East/ West and Katsina Ala/ Ukum federal constituencies were affected. Additional ballot papers have to be reprinted to include missing CPC logo.
In Cross River state, elections will not take place in Southern and Central senatorial districts as well as Abi/ Yukurr federal constituency to make room for the reprinting of ballot papers to include missing DFPF and CPC logos while in Delta state, Aniocha/Oshimili, Ethiope East/ West and Bomadi / Patani federal constituencies were affected as the commission need to print additional ballot papers to augment the balance left from last Saturday’s suspended election.Electorates in Ebonyi North senatorial district and Ohaozara/ Onicha/Ivo federal constituencies will not participate in Saturday’s polls as the electoral umpire will be reproducing more ballot papers since a significant number was used up last Saturday.
In Ekiti state, no election will hold in all the three senatorial districts as well as Ado Ekiti/Irepodun/ Ifelodun, Ido/Osi/Moba/Ilejemeje, Ijero/EkitiWest/Efon and Ikole Oye federal constituencies for the reason of the need to reprint ballot papers to include missing NTP logo while in Gombe state, Gombe North senatorial district and Yamatu/Deba, Kaltungo/Shongom and Dukku/Nafada were affected.
More ballot papers need to be reprinted in these areas.Okigwe/Iheme/Mbanu federal constituency in Imo state is also affected as the commission needs to reprint ballot papers to include missing PPA logo while in Jigawa state, only Taura/Ringim federal constituency was affected because of the need to reprint ballot papers to include missing CPC logo.Kaduna North senatorial district as well as Ikara/Kabau, Kachia/Kagarko, Kauru, Makarfi/Kuden and Zangon Kataf/Soba federal constituencies in Kaduna state were also affected due to the need to reprint ballot papers for the polls while in Kano state, Dala, Gwarzo/Kabo and Karaye/Rogo federal constituencies were also affected for the same reason.In Kwara state, next Saturday’s election in Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun was suspended to enable the electoral umpire remove AC logo and add missing DPP logo.
For Lagos state, election will not hold in Ifako/Ijaye, Shomolu and Ikorodu federal constituencies as ballot papers need to be reprinted to include missing Labour party logo while in Nasarawa state, it will not hold in Keffi/Kokona/Karu federal constituency so that the commission can print additional ballot papers for the area.In Niger state, Niger South senatorial districts as well as Bida/Gbako/Katcha and Lavun/Edasi/Mokwa federal constituencies were affected.
The electoral body said it needs to reprint additional ballot papers and include missing CPC logo while in Ogun state, elections will not hold in Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode /Odeda, Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/, Egbado South/Ipokia, Ijebu North-East/Ogun Waterside and Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North federal constituencies to enable INEC reprint ballot papers.
The election will also not hold in Ibadan North-West/South-West federal constituency over missing CPC logo while in Plateau state, the three senatorial districts of Plateau North, Plateau Central and Plateau South were affected alongside Jos North/Bassa and Pankshin/Kenke/Kanam federal constituencies in the state for more ballot papers to be reprinted.
In Rivers and Sokoto states, affected areas include Port Harcourt 2 federal constituency and Sokoto North senatorial district where ballot papers need to be reprinted to include missing CPC and DPP logos respectively while in Zamfara state, Anka/Talata Mafara and Zurmi/Shinkafi federal constituencies were affected.
More ballot papers need to be reprinted for these areas.While responding to questions at the briefing, the INEC boss stated that the decision taken by the commission not to disclose the identities of the persons behind the contracted companies which failed to deliver sensitive election materials leading to the suspension of last Saturday’s polls was taken in order not to undermine the legal process which the commission will take over the matter.
He dispelled insinuations that the international community is skeptic about the ability of the commission to deliver free, fair and credible election to Nigerians noting that although many international observers had been deployed to many locations across the nation before last Saturday’s botched polls and this means additional expenses, that the international community is sympathetic and concerned and have communicated their support to the electoral body.
By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja