Supplementary Poll: Ekiti INEC promises fairness
Victor Akinkuolie ,Ado-Ekiti
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Ahead of the conduct of the rescheduled supplementary House of Assembly election, for Ekiti East constituency I, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ekiti State has disclosed that the commission will not deviate from its tradition of fairness and neutrality.
The election umpire had announced March 23, as the date for the exercise and that election will hold in five polling units in the constituency , in line with the directive of the chairman of the electoral body, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu.
The election was suspended by INEC on March 9, when the House of Assembly and governorship elections were held across the country, with results in other 25 constituencies already declared .
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the Acting Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ekiti, Dr. Muslim Omoleke, revealed that INEC would by the week meet the security agencies and brief them on the need to be prepared for the conduct of the exercise.
Omoleke disclosed that the commission decided to suspend elections in the polling units following the violence that mared the conduct of the exercise, noted that as a result of this the commission thereby making the outcome inconclusive, in line with its vow to be neutral and fair to all contenders in any election.
“We are prepared for the election and we won’t deviate from the practice of fairness and neutrality to all political parties.
” We will meet the security agencies this week and brief them on how the conduct will look like, so they can plan their own strategies on how to deliver a free, fair and credible election on Saturday.
“We have received materials from the headquarters and they are being kept in the Central Bank of Nigeria, the materials are under safe custody.
“We want to assure the electorates that we won’t let them down. Let them come out massively and vote and we assure that their votes will count.
“INEC did not disappoint in the conduct of the presidential, State and National Assembly elections in Ekiti, this also will not be an exemption”, Omoleke stated.
In the election, the battle will be between Mr. Juwa Adegbuyi of the All Progressives Congress and the occupant of the seat and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Hon. Ojo-Ade Fajana.
