EDO GUBER: PARTIES PASS VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE ON INEC

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Edo guber: Parties pass vote of no confidence on INEC
From TONY OSAUZO, Benin
Thursday, May 17, 2012

Discordant tunes yesterday trailed the preparations for the conduct of the July 14 governorship election in Edo State with the participating political parties passing a vote of no confidence on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Representatives of the political parties who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting with INEC in Benin unanimously condemned the electoral body’s voters’ registration update and preparations for the election.

INEC Head of ICT in Abuja, Chidi Nwafor, an engineer, set the tone of discussion at the meeting when he explained that 450 DDC machines had been made available out of which 384 would be deployed for the updating of voters’ register which was expected to commence last Tuesday.

Edo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had earlier accused Nwafor of colluding with another staff of the commission in Benin to allegedly manipulate the voters’ register in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwafor said two DDC machines would be deployed to each of the 192 wards, saying that National Youth Corps members would be recruited to carry out the exercise and the election, adding that INEC was determined to be transparent in the election.

Reacting, Senator Roland Owie, who spoke on behalf of the PDP, objected to use of corps members.
A member of the House of Representatives, Samson Osagie of the ACN expressed worry over the provision of 450 DDC machines to carry out the registration of only five per cent of voters, saying that the party had no confidence in INEC as there was no security arrangement to guarantee that the machines would not be used for secret voters’ registration.
He also condemned the use of corps members, saying that there was crisis of confidence in the exercise in the state as, according to him, some people were allegedly secretly registered.

The South-south leader of the ACN, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu alleged that some people had been secretly registered by the PDP in the state, revealing that his party had such registration on tapes. Reacting to Iyamu’s allegation, Senator Owie said his party had no hand in such registration, just as General Godwin Abbe (retd) called for tight security to guarantee free and fair election.

The Edo State Chairman of the ACN, Thomas Okosun said his party having found an INEC official with a DDC machine outside, had no confidence in the electoral body’s ability to conduct the election. Okosun, who following the disclosure by INEC National Commissioner, Dr. Ishmael Igbani that a staff of the commission in the Benin office accused by the ACN of allegedly manipulating the voters’ register had been removed, wondered why Engr. Nwafor, also accused for the same offence was left to continue his duties.

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