The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charged of Kogi state Professor James Apam has decried the widespread electoral violence in Kogi East Senatorial District during the February 23, Presidential/National Assembly elections in the state.
Apam disclosed this on Wednesday during a preview of the February 23, polls at a stakeholders meeting preparatory to the March 9, State Assembly and Dekina/Bassa supplementary elections in the state.
The REC expressed concern over the electoral violence which claimed three lives and disrupted elections in over 157 polling units in the senatorial district with 89 units in Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency alone.
He regretted that a pick-up van loaded with electoral materials was burnt down by thugs in Dekina while in Ogori-Magongo Local Government, eight polling units with card readers and other materials were destroyed.
The REC therefore, appealed to the electorates and all electoral stakeholders in the state to have a change of mind and avoid violence in next Saturday’s elections.
Apam implored perpetrators of violence in the area to desist from encouraging youths and providing arms for electoral violence saying that the nation was rather retrogressing rather than progressing in its development.
The REC assured against complaints of card readers malfunction and resort to manual voting that card readers would be fully deployed and used in the Saturday Governorship/State Assembly elections throughout the country.
He pointed out that should the card reader be by-passed, compromised or not used for any reason at any polling unit, results from such unit would be cancelled.
Apam however, declared the readiness of the commission for the March 9, State Assembly and Dekina/Bassa supplementary elections in the state adding distribution and despatch of materials would commence on Thursday.
He appealed to the people to allow peaceful conduct of Saturday House of Assembly election.
Stakeholders at the meeting expressed disappointment over alleged compromise on the part of some INEC Presiding Officers, absence of (in some cases) and inadequate security officers.
Secretary of Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Isah Adehioye in his contribution urged traditional and religious leaders to address the challenge of electoral violence and commended the Attah Igala, Dr Ameh-Oboni for placing ancestral curses on perpetrators of electoral violence in Kogi East.
