The Independent National Electoral Commission’,I NEC Administration Secretary in charge of Abia State, Mr Clement Oha, has disclosed that fresh polls will be held in some wards and polling units in seven local government areas in Abia state on Monday
The INEC secretary who said this while addressing newsmen in Umuahia on Sunday, dentified the affected LGAs as: Obingwa, Osisioma, Aba North, Aba South, Umuahia North, Ohafia, and Arochukwu.
The Administration Secretary said that the affected polling units in the affected LGAs had been communicated.
He explained that the reported skirmishes in the affected polling units during Saturday’s election necessitated the fresh poll.
” We had various degrees of discrepancies with respect to the procedures that were violent to some extent.
“The Commission in their wisdom felt that the credibility of the election should not be compromised, and that there should be no winner by default. So, election must take place in the affected polling units tomorrow (Monday)”.
When asked to identify the number of polling units affected, the Administration Secretary, said it was still being processed.
On the whereabouts of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in charge of the state, Professor Ike Uzochukwu, the Administration Secretary, said he must have been tired and needed to rest.
” We were in a meeting here up till 2:00 am when I left. I learnt he left by 5:00 am. Certainly, he is a human being, and maybe is tired”.
When prodded further to disclose the exact number of polling units involved in the fresh election so that voters in the affected areas could be properly guided, Oha said such information resided with the REC.
”We are still gathering the information because it was going to the REC straight. But now that we can’t see him, we are trying to calibrate information from the EOs.
”I’m the Administration Secretary. The REC deals with operational issues. I have not told you I got the consent of the REC to speak.“
