Situation Room calls for cancellation of Kogi elections

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called for the cancellation of the entirety of the Kogi State elections conducted on 16 November, 2019.

The convener of Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, in a press briefing on Sunday, said the levels of violence witnessed in the state as well as in Bayelsa State were unprecedented, alarming and raised questions about the credibility of the elections.

He said, “With particular reference to the elections in Kogi State, the levels of violence perpetrated by the two major political parties and politicians, evident sometimes in the collusion with security personnel, seriously undermined the elections, deterred voters and made the exercise a farce.

“Accordingly, Situation Room is calling for the cancellation of the entirety of the Kogi State elections conducted on 16 November, 2019.”

He said the violence made it difficult for voters to observe the usual practice of staying back after voting to observe counting and collation.

For the governorship elections in Bayelsa state, Nwankwo said the Situation Room also witnessed “serious lapses, with high levels of violence perpetrated by political parties again in collusion with security personnel and reports of “community voting” – a practice whereby political parties controlling particular areas compel overwhelming votes in favour of their party.”

He said Situation Room therefore called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully interrogate the elections in Bayelsa State with a view to identifying the high incidences of malpractice that took place and reflect the genuine vote of the people.

“In the light of the security failures, violence, thuggery and general abuse witnessed in the elections, Situation Room calls for an urgent passage and implementation of an Electoral Offences Commission law to address all issues related to electoral abuse,” Nwankwo said.