…As CLO Accuses INEC Of Complicity

Civil Liberty Organisation
has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of causing the delay in concluding the rerun elections in Rivers State, describing it as infringement of the political rights of the people of Rivers state .
In a statement issued by the Chairman CLO South South Karl Chinedu Uchegbu, Zonal Director South South Styvn Obodoekwe,and Livingstone Wechie,
Deputy Director, Relations/Communications, CLO South South, said it is almost eight months or more since the Appeal Court on Election petitions in Abuja in 2015, ordered a rerun election in the national and state legislative seats in Rivers state but INEC has failed to complete the rerun ever since, basing its excuses on insecurity and electoral violence.
The group noted that the issue of insecurity is not peculiar to Rivers state as INEC will want to paint it to the world, adding that INEC conducted elections in the north east of Nigeria that is grappling with Boko Haram and even recorded higher voter turnout as it made Nigerians to believe as indicated in its reports, among other areas in the country where the environment is practically volatile.
According to the statement, ” we wish to remind INEC that voting is a fundamental rights of citizens in exercise of their political and civil rights as recognized by both local and international legal instruments and INEC is bound to necessarily recognise same accordingly. However, INEC by its actions is denying Rivers people this right; citing insecurity is not at all tenable. It paints a picture pointing that it may have connived with a certain political party to stage-manage the various attacks particularly in the Ogoni areas of Rivers state so as to justify its increasingly innovative excuses on why it will not conduct a rerun.
“The  running cry of INEC that until security can be guaranteed it cannot conduct or conclude the rerun elections is very curious giving the impression it carries.
“This posture by INEC is in the face of the reported bombing of its office in KHANA L.G.A in Rivers state as it hurriedly latched into the obviously preplanned unfurtunate incident to justify the common and uniform cries of a certain political interest to quickly suspend the rerun election indefinitely.
“It is most regrettable therefore that INEC has delightedly denied the people of Rivers state their rightful representation in the National and State Assemblies respectively, particularly in the Nigeria Senate where all of the three statutory Senators from the state are not represented.”
The questions to ask are: whether Rivers state is no longer part of Nigeria and whether INEC is now vested with such omnipotence to overrule the mandate, will and political aspirations of eligible voters in Rivers state arbitrarily without any legal caution.”
The group further explained that the unwillingness of INEC to complete the rerun in Rivers state is the reason behind the heightened political tension and not the other way. INEC if it is indeed sincere can work out a strong security strategy with the relevant security outfits to manage the elections without being overwhelmed because the security agencies themselves have sufficient intelligence to handle every security breach approximately.