INEC to conduct outstanding Rivers election on Saturday

INEC to conduct outstanding Rivers election on Saturday

- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will conclude two outstanding elections in River state on Saturday, February 18

- The two elections, which have been slated for Saturday will be conducted in Etche and Omuma local government areas

- Aniedi Ikoiwak, the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state said the election is to fill the Etche Constituency II seat in the House of Assembly and Etche/Omuma seat in the House of Representatives

INEC to conduct outstanding Rivers election on Saturday

The outstanding 2015 elections in Rivers state has been fixed for Saturday, February 18, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Aniedi Ikoiwak, the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, in a statement on Tuesday, February 14, said the exercise would hold at Etche and Omuma local government areas.

The election, according to the statement, is to fill the Etche Constituency II seat in the House of Assembly and Etche/Omuma seat in the House of Representatives.

It said that the election would hold in 147 polling units in 19 Registration Areas in Etche and one polling unit (Umuogba Community I) in Omuma.

Security agencies have been contacted to provide adequate security during the exercise.

Following a court rulings that invalidated the 2015 federal and state legislative elections in the state, INEC slated March 19, 2016, for re-run polls.

Unfortunately, the exercise was marred by violence, which forced the electoral body to suspend the polls midway.

When the re-run was rescheduled on December 10, 2016, it was inconclusive in Etche and part of Omuma areas due to some irregularities, prompting the repeat.

Recall that in December 2016, the media went agog with a leaked video of an incident during the Rivers state rerun election.

In the leaked video, the Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike was heard threatening INEC officers on delivering certain polling units and wards for him.