Why We Extend Enugu State Constituency Rerun Election – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says that the rescheduled rerun election for the Enugu South 1 State Constituency was postponed due to security reasons.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday that the postponed election was cancelled earlier last week due to security considerations.

Chukwu disclosed that the rerun election, which was fixed after stakeholders’ engagements to hold on June 8, would hold on a further date to be communicated by the commission.

“Last week, the scheduled rerun election was postponed and duly communicated to all stakeholders with a clear reason for the postponement.

“But I am surprised some misguided people are taking up all sorts of unfounded falsehoods and rumours against the commission that it seems the election had been held in secret even as I am speaking to you,” he said.

NAN reports that Mr Bright Ngene, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the State House of Assembly, was declared winner of the March 18, 2023, election and was sworn in, but the election was nullified by the tribunal for being inconclusive.

This is the third attempt by INEC to hold the election.

As early as 7 a.m. on Saturday, voters had converged in the affected polling units, but no official of the INEC was seen at the venue.

The LP candidate for the election, Mr Ngene, who was at the polling centre, expressed dismay over the development.

He told journalists that there was no information available to him and his party that the election would not hold.

On his part, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Sam Ngene, said the postponement was duly communicated to his party.

(NAN)