Election postponement: INEC in Imo retrieves sensitive materials

Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, has said that the State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has commenced the retrieval of sensitive materials already deployed to local government areas for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

INEC had announced the postponement of the election around 2.30 am before the commencement of the exercise scheduled for 8 am.

Ezeonu said that the sensitive matterials will be retrieved and returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safekeeping, while awaiting further instructions.

The development came after residents of the state expressed anger and disappointment at the postponement of the exercise.

One of the aggrieved voters, Chief Chukwuemeka Agom, said INEC was toying with the nation’s democracy, especially as the commission had enough time to prepare for the election.

A former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, who also express disappointment at the development, stated that “postponement does not go down well with any patriotic and right thinking citizen of this country”.

Ohakim, who is the governorship candidate of the Accord party, advised the commission to take steps to ensure that all the lacunae identified were addressed to avoid further postponement.