As part of its plans to conduct credible and acceptable elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State has embarked on a shake-up exercise aimed at repositioning the commission for the forthcoming general elections, Straightnews has gathered.
Consequently, the commission has dropped and re-assigned 10 electoral officers in addition to re-deploying assistant electoral officers initially attached to the local government areas and post new ones to the areas.
Straightnews was reliably informed that the electoral officers were dropped in the last eight weeks, though Don Etukudo, the state Public Affairs Officer of the commission, said only five were dropped.
A source also hinted the online newspapers that the existing electoral officers have been re-deployed to other local government areas while new ones have been re-assigned.
Findings show that the officers said to have been withdrawn to the main office in Uyo were alleged to have compromised their duty resulting in the commission losing reputation.
“Apart, they were alleged to have been engaged in actions inimical to the credibility of the commission hence the need to return them to the main office for other miscellaneous duties,” a source told Straightnews.
Recall that on December 22, 2018, the commission in the state issued a press release that the Commissioner was undertaking the exercise in what the man called “a strategic re-organization and repositioning for a good electoral service delivery.”
In a press release entitled SHAKE UP IN INEC, AKS and signed by Etukudo, the Public Affairs Officer, Mike Igini Esq, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, said the commission has withdrawn some electoral officers from the field and re-assigned others to different LGAs other than where they had served.
“The task before the Commission in 2019 required a rejuvenated and repositioned workforce sufficiently tuned to the core values of integrity and impartiality necessary to drive and deliver on the Commission’s mandate.
“His over-a-year study of the field officers had revealed some weak links that informed the changes in order to ensure that the integrity of the electoral process and public confidence in it should take pre-eminence over all considerations.
“I want politicians to refrain from unethical engagement that may jeopardise the career of INEC staff and the staff to be conscientious and committed to the vision and mission of the Commission to deliver free, fair and credible elections to the people of the state,” the release stated.
The no-nonsense commissioner warned the staff against actions that may breach public trust, adding that in the last one year he has been counselling and would not hesitate to initiate disciplinary measures on those who compromise the process leading to the 2019 elections.
The REC also released letters of promotion to staff who were recently elevated, and enjoined them to reciprocate the gesture by re-dedicating and committing themselves to the ideals of the Commission.
Straightnews learnt that the commission has re-assigned the electoral officers to duties other than conducting, supervising and distributing election materials.
A source in Uyo Office confided in the online newspapers that the state INEC Commissioner is a man known to have conducted various credible elections in the country and in the international community.
Igini is said to have won the respect of the international community and where there is a problem in the country he is usually called upon to fix it.
“The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC in Akwa Ibom are jittery because the man would not wink his eyes to any politician planning to rig the next election.
“The man believes in credible election and will want to conduct it to bolster his rising profile.
“At the moment, the two major political parties in the state are enmeshed in a plot to transfer the Commisisoner and bring in another who will co-operate in rigging the election,” the source told Straightnews.
Allegations are rife that some undercover agents are going about to collect Permanent Voters Card, PVCs, from the voters in Akwa Ibom.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has alleged that there were plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to adopt beneficiaries of the federal government’s NPOWER programme as ad-hoc staff in next month’s general election.
CUPP in a statement issued Monday by its 1st national spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said already, the commission had begun recruitment of the federal government’s NPower beneficiaries as ad-hoc staff for the election, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the electional umpire to order immediately.
The statement read: “President Buhari has said that the main thrust of the N-Power scheme is to harness Nigeria’s young demography through appropriate skill development, providing a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development, and linking outcomes to fixing inadequate public services and stimulating the larger economy.
“Yet, under his administration, Nigeria took over as the nation with the highest number of extremely poor people, with 87 million people in extreme poverty and growing by six people every minute.
“The President wants to use the beneficiaries of their failed NPower programme to technically rig the election.
”The INEC chairman should ensure the credibility which he promised Nigerians by making sure that no NPower beneficiary is recruited as d-hoc staff in the election, because it’s clear that these so called beneficiaries are going to be used by President Buhari and his APC cohorts to rig the elections.
“This administration has failed Nigerians time and time again, it’s clear to them they will loose the election in a free and fair fight so they are resolving to all manner of ploys to rig the elections, including their failed NPower programme which has failed to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
“The opposition also received a very reliable information from a credible source that Buhari’s relative Amina Zakari will be in charge of the recruitment and training of the Ward/LGA/State Collation and returning officers.
“We have just been informed from a very reliable source that Amina Zakari will be in charge of the recruitment and training of the Ward/LGA/State Collation and returning officers. This is an obvious effort by Amina Zakari to influence and manipulate the conduct the 2019 elections.
“INEC’s Amina Zakari is at it again, Nigerians must rise against this evil election rigger.
“The directive came as a shock to the electoral officers because they had started the process of recruiting the Adhoc staffs (collation and returning officers) in accordance with with well established practices.
“According to reliable sources, for the first time in the history of democracy of our Country, ward collation and returning officers will be recruited and trained in Abuja. This will be done by Amina Zakari who will then forward the names of her selected staff to the EOs at the State level.
“We call on the INEC chairman to quickly ensure that Zakari is stopped, also Nigerians, especially CSOs, political parties and all well meaning and decent people must be vigilant and constantly monitor this woman and her evil intentions not only for the forthcoming election but to the end of her ignominious tenure.”
Reacting to the allegation last night, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, dismissed allegations by the CUPP, saying it took exceptions to the allegations.
The Commission’s Director in charge of Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Liaison, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, told Vanguard that the electoral umpire was recruiting members of the National Youth Service Corps NYSC as its ad hoc staff and not n-Power beneficiaries.
“There is a portal that has been opened for recruitment of ad hoc staff. Nigerians are applying and we do not know who are n-Power beneficiaries. Most importantly, we are recruiting NYSC members.
”It is when there is a shortfall that we consider students of federal tertiary institutions or ex-corps members, but essentially, we are using corps members and we are not aware that corps members are n-Power beneficiaries,” he said.
