LG Polls: Rsiec To Adopt Open-Secret Ballot System

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) says it has resolved to adopt the open-secret ballot system for the conduct of the June 16 local government election.
The Commissioner incharge of Political Parties and Monitoring, Prof.Jones Jaja, who revealed this at a stakeholders meeting at Kpor, in Gokana Local Government Area (GOLGA) reassured that the commission would ensure a credible, free and fair council poll.
The commission has resolved to ensure that the June, 2018 local government council elections are credible, free and fai. The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has adopted the open-secret ballot system for conducting the LGA elections”, he said.
Jaja, represented by the Electoral Officer in charge of GOLGA, Mr Nwikwor Mene Eric explained that the open-secret, though open, allows voters to make their choice secretly.
He explained that under this system, accreditation and release of ballot papers to voters would be done openly while voters would thereafter retire alone to a private place to be provided by RSIEC to exercise his or her franchise.
” Accreditation and voting will take place simultaneously across the state, adding that after voting, all votes must be counted and results announced at the polling units before being entered into the RSIEC form, which would be signed by representatives of the various political parties, security agents, RSIEC officials and other relevant stakeholders”, he said.
In his contribution, the Divisional Police Officer, Kpor, Police Division, CSP Nzota Chidi urged the people of the area to maintain the existing peace, as according to him, the police will not compromise with anyone fomenting trouble during and after the elections.
CSP Chidi reminded them, that the elections that are about to be conducted by RSIEC must produce winners and losers as well, advising that whoever emerges as the winner should be magnanimous in victory and the loser, maturity in accepting defeat in good faith.
He pleaded with RSIEC to make available to the Gokana police division all the names of qualified candidates for the LGA elections from the area, so as to have a regular meeting with them. Chidi noted that any of the aspirant, their sponsors and supporters who breached the existing peace being experienced in Gokana will be made to face the full wrath of the law.