The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that it has postponed elections in 141 polling units (PUs) in Bayelsa State over violence recorded during February 25 elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu made the announcement on Saturday during the second situation briefing at the national collation centre in Abuja.
Yakubu revealed that the 141 PUs in four wards of Yenagoa, the state’s capital would hold on Sunday, February 26.
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INEC’s boss stated that the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) members handling the affected PUs were afraid to resume the exercise; leading to the postponement.
He said:
“But in Bayelsa State particularly in the state capital, four wards, Ward 4, 6, 8, and 14 with 141 polling units, the process was disrupted. We remobilised security to proceed with the process but the corps members expressed some apprehension about going back so we met with the security agencies and decided that voting in these 141 PUs where all the materials are actually intact will take place tomorrow morning.”
The voting process in those polling centres was interrupted by thugs before security agencies later intervened.
Also, Yakubu said that the process was disrupted in some PUs in seven local government areas by insecurity and thuggery in Imo State.
He mentioned that the affected were three local government areas in Edo State, where the elections were postponed to March 11 due to the omission of one of the political party’s logos, available on the results sheet but not on the ballot paper.
He said:
“In Lagos, we have been closely following the situation in Okota, Mafoluku, Oshodi, and Elegushi. We have been able to normalize the situation in a number of places and voting is ongoing, so we will keep our eyes on the processes in the other areas that I had mentioned.
“In a large number of PUs, voting is closed and sorting and counting have commenced. Between now and the last briefing, we have taken a proactive step by meeting with the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The idea is to strengthen security as we move into the next stage of the process, which is collation of results in locations where voting has been concluded at the polling units.
“I would also like to say that in Edo State, we had a situation that we handled yesterday (Friday), one of the parties whose logo is on the results sheet but is not on the ballot paper.
“In a meeting with the stakeholders, a decision was taken on the materials and the elections. So we have suspended the election for Esan North, South, and Iguebe.
“The ballot papers will be reprinted and the election will now hold along with the state elections on the 11th of March. That is in the next two weeks. We are determined that no Nigerian should be disenfranchised.
“So we have been responding to some of the situations as they arise. And we are going to do so overnight.”
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