The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared elections in Brass Constituency One in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State inconclusive over issues of electoral violence and card reader machine failure.
This was announced by the Constituency Returning Officer, Dr. Akachi Odenene, an associate professor, at the Brass Collation Center in Twon Brass Island.
According to the results, Odenene declared the constituency had 21, 160 registered voters, with 2,363 accredited voters.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 1,194 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 877 votes from areas elections he said were seemingly conducted peacefully, free and fair.
He, however, said elections in six units of ward six of the constituency that has a voting strength of 2, 076 had to be declared inconclusive because elections didn’t take place as a result of reported cases of mostly electoral violence and card reader failure.
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The constituency returning officer said that in the six units where elections were cancelled, only few areas were as a result of card reader failure. He said the supplementary election would be conducted on a later date.
“In ward six, no election took place due to either electoral violence or failure of card reader machines. And in consonance with the INEC rules, where violence took place, there would be no elections but where there were incidences of card reader failure the electorate would be given the opportunity to cast their votes again.
“We have a situation where the difference between the leading political parties in this election is 317 votes whereas, in those six units of ward six where elections should have taken place but did not take place, the total number of registered voters is 2, 076.
“In consonance with INEC rules, this election is declared inconclusive and a supplementary election holds only in the six units of ward six where they had card reader machine failure,” he said.
When contacted, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah, Head of Department, INEC Voter Education and Publicity of the INEC, confirmed the report.
He said “when the returning officer declares a result, he does that on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commissioner.
“It is the decision of the Commission that where the election is marred by violence, there would be no supplementary elections, except for areas where elections were marred by card reader failure.
“For now, this is the position of INEC,” Ifogha said.