INEC will enforce code of conduct, says Okoye

By Emmanuel Oladesu

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that its officials were neutral during last year’s general elections.

The agency recalled polls were conducted  to fill 1,558 positions.

Arising from the elections, some of the political parties and candidates filed petitions before the Election Petitions Tribunals and Courts to ventilate their grievances and all the Petitions have been determined.

A total of 807 post-election petitions were filed, out of which 582 were dismissed, 183 withdrawn by the petitioners and only 30 petitions, representing less than 2% of the total resulted in orders by the Tribunals and Courts to the Commission to rerun the elections.

Subsequently, the commission conducted court-ordered re-run elections in 30 constituencies in 12 States of the federation and made declarations and returns.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said officials were faithful to its code of conduct.

In the re-run elections in the South East of Nigeria, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won the election in 2 Constituencies in Abia State.

In the 3 Constituencies where the Commission conducted elections in Imo State, the Action Alliance (AA), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) secured one seat each.

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Okoye said: “The Commission conducted the court-ordered re-run elections under very difficult circumstances occasioned by the desperation and unwholesome activities of some of the political actors bent on compromising and disrupting the process, thus endangering the safety of the staff and attempting to secure their predetermined outcomes.

“Staff of the Commission risked their lives, performed under delicate conditions and engaged in electoral operations aimed at protecting the integrity of the process and ensuring credible outcomes.

“The Commission’s code of conduct ensures that all our staff remain non-partisan in the discharge of their official duties. This is the only way they can maintain the delicate balance between all the contending political parties and candidates in the political process.”

The commissioner said it is counterproductive to profile INEC senior staff operating in any part of the country and paint them with the brush of partisanship just to score political points.

He said the commission would not be drawn into the debate on the propriety, correctness or otherwise of the decisions of the various Election Petitions Tribunals and the Courts as the constitution and the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) have delineated the powers and areas of jurisdiction of various institutiond.

Okoye said decisions of courts and tribunal are final, adding the rule of law dictated that all authorities and persons should give effect to them.

He added: “Rather, the Commission will focus on its efforts and that of other institutions to bring about necessary reforms to give Nigerians comprehensive and robust electoral framework that will take care of perceived and identified flaws and lacunae in the electoral process.

“The Commission enjoins Political Parties and Candidates to develop the democratic spirit and assist the Commission in the conduct of free and transparent elections.

“We assure Nigerians that the Commission will remain focused and determined to continue with improvements in the electoral process and solidify the sovereign right of the Nigerian people to freely choose their representatives.”