The Independent National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said election results from polling units where cases of ballot box snatching were recorded may be cancelled.
In reaction to the cases of violence, ballot snatching and intimidation during the conduct of governorship and senatorial elections in Kogi State on Saturday, Okoye said such result could be cancelled depending on reports from the presiding officer in such units.
He added that the commission had yet to be informed by the Peoples Democratic Party that the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, and the All Progressives Congress were forcing INEC staff to sign prefilled results.
He said, “If there are areas where ballot box snatching was reported, the presiding officer is expected to write a report on such incident to the Electoral Officer, stating the issues concern and how they fit into the guidelines.
“The report from the presiding officers from such units will help the commission to determine whether the results from such units will be cancelled or whether a rerun will be ordered or whether the unit will be awarded a zero score.
“Until such report is received from the officers on the field, the commission will not take decision on it.
“We have some Resident and National Commissioners and other senior staff of the commission on the field. They are doing their job in accordance with the law.
“We are not aware of such an incident (that Bello and INEC were forcing INEC staff to sign prefilled results) and if such an incident took place, there will be a report because we have some Resident Electoral Commissioners supervising a cluster of local government areas.”
