BREAKING NEWS: INEC to cancel elections in parts of Kogi due to unrest
The Independent National Electoral Commission has vowed to cancel election results of crisis-ridden areas during the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kogi State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kogi state, Hale Longpet, sounded the warning while reacting to the crises that erupted in some Local Government Areas while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja.
According to The PUNCH, there were reports of thugs interfering in some polling units in Anyigba, Dekina, and Mopa in the Kogi East, Kogi West, and some locations in the Kogi Central, where voting materials were reportedly taken by the thugs.
The REC responded to the issues by saying, “You know the electoral Law states that where there are process disruptions, the result will be cancelled, the very specific units’ results will be cancelled.
The problems originally only affected Kogi East and Central, but until the electoral officers announce the results, I won’t know precisely where and how the state has been affected.
“We understood that because of the violence, those affected areas couldn’t conclude election there. I’m shocked that people can go to that level and disrupt something that everybody should have enjoyed.”
Speaking further, the commissioner who decried the loss of lives also praised the peaceful conduct of the elections in some areas.
“Election is a peaceful and willful thing that people are offered to freely participate. Again, If people are given assurance that everyone will enjoy a pleasant experience, why then should we have thugs invading the whole town or the local government, disrupting the conduct of the elections?” he asked.
Mr Longpet added, “This is very sad and shocking when you look at the loss of lives involved.”
He explained that “election is not war so If you were standing in for election to provide services for your people, you don’t need to engage in these destructive activities.”
According to him, people who have the interest to bring good things to their communities do go out to positively engage and vote or exercise their franchise and they should not be stopped or denied the opportunity.”
