The Independent National Electoral Commission has been urged to clarify and provide an official statement regarding the areas where elections were not held during the Imo state governorship poll.
Nigeria’s leading election observer group, Yiaga Africa, made this request in its post-election observation report released yesterday. According to the report, Yiaga Africa discovered that 12% of its sampled polling units did not hold elections.
The report confirmed that nine of the sampled polling units in Orsu LGA by Yiaga Africa did not witness any elections.
The election observer group noted speculations that INEC might have relocated the polling units without an official notice or statement to prompt the electorate.
In Okigwe LGA, observers also reported that elections did not occur in eight sampled polling units. The report stated that in eight of Yiaga Africa’s sampled polling units in Oru East LGA, the election was not held.
“In addition, elections were not held in seven (7) of our sampled polling units in Orlu LGA and in one (1) of our sampled polling units each in Ideato North, Ikeduru, Oru West and Owerri West LGAs.” The report also confirmed Yaiga Africa’s concern over uploading results from the enlisted LGAs where elections did not hold. “Yiaga Africa is deeply concerned with the upload of results from EC8A for some of the sampled polling units where elections were not conducted in Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ideato North, Ikeduru, and Okigwe LGAs on the IReV.”
