The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room has expressed concern over widespread irregularities, especially violence in the Kano State supplementary election held on Saturday.
The organization, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to “discountenance the supplementary elections where violence occurred and proceed to make a declaration on the basis of the polls already concluded.”
The Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and Convener, NCSSR, Clement Nwankwo, expressed these views in its statement on the supplementary elections in Kano State, jointly endorsed by two alternate chairs, Y.Z Yau and Esther Uzoma.
The statement reads, “In the light of widespread violence in the areas where INEC had conducted supplementary elections in Kano State, Situation Room calls on INEC to discountenance the supplementary elections where violence occurred and proceed to make a declaration on the basis of the polls already concluded, as the country will be in no mood to accept the conduct of another supplementary election on the back of a supplementary election.
“Situation Room is concerned about reports emanating from the Kano State supplementary elections that indicate serious violence, extensive use of thugs to perpetrate electoral violence.
“Situation Room condemns the actions of political parties in the run-up to the supplementary elections and on Election Day. Reports received show massive deployment of thugs and party agents to polling units. In Gama Ward, a large number of thugs were seen intimidating voters, observers and even INEC officials around the polling units, unchecked, despite the presence of security personnel.
“There were also incidents of high deployment of unaccredited party agents to polling units who aided the disruption of the voting process. Situation Room is concerned that abuses of electoral process and violence have occurred despite the deployment of top-level Police officials, including a Deputy Inspector General, three Assistant Inspectors-General and Commissioners of Police
The organization, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to “discountenance the supplementary elections where violence occurred and proceed to make a declaration on the basis of the polls already concluded.”
The Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and Convener, NCSSR, Clement Nwankwo, expressed these views in its statement on the supplementary elections in Kano State, jointly endorsed by two alternate chairs, Y.Z Yau and Esther Uzoma.
The statement reads, “In the light of widespread violence in the areas where INEC had conducted supplementary elections in Kano State, Situation Room calls on INEC to discountenance the supplementary elections where violence occurred and proceed to make a declaration on the basis of the polls already concluded, as the country will be in no mood to accept the conduct of another supplementary election on the back of a supplementary election.
“Situation Room is concerned about reports emanating from the Kano State supplementary elections that indicate serious violence, extensive use of thugs to perpetrate electoral violence.
“Situation Room condemns the actions of political parties in the run-up to the supplementary elections and on Election Day. Reports received show massive deployment of thugs and party agents to polling units. In Gama Ward, a large number of thugs were seen intimidating voters, observers and even INEC officials around the polling units, unchecked, despite the presence of security personnel.
“There were also incidents of high deployment of unaccredited party agents to polling units who aided the disruption of the voting process. Situation Room is concerned that abuses of electoral process and violence have occurred despite the deployment of top-level Police officials, including a Deputy Inspector General, three Assistant Inspectors-General and Commissioners of Police