INEC investigates staff over rerun poll •Suspends Etche LG election indefinitely

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up a four-man committee to investigate the role of its staff in the conduct of the December 10 Rivers legislative rerun elections.

The commission’s daily bulletin, issued on Wednesday, in Abuja stated that the committee was expected to submit its report on January 30, 2017.

The committee’s terms of reference, according to the bulletin, include to review the preparations and deployment of personnel and material on the eve of the elections.

The committee is also to identify the factors leading to the apparent failure of processes in some local government areas in the National and state Assembly rerun elections.

The committee to be chaired by Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, is also mandated to determine the involvement and possible culpability of INEC officials in the conduct and outcome of the elections.

“The committee is to also recommend appropriate sanctions against officials involved in any infractions and commendation for exceptional performance.

“Another term of reference for the committee is to also advise the commission on any matter considered relevant to the assignment,” the commission stated.

Other members of the committee are AVM Ahmed Mu’azu; INEC National Commissioner, Professor Jacob Jatau; FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner; and Omoloja Tajudeen, INEC Deputy Director (Discipline).

Similarly, the commission has decided that appropriate disciplinary action be meted on its staff facing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the conduct of the 2015 general election.

It stated that the discipline would be based on the INEC Staff Conditions of Service.

The commission also stated that it has approved the promotion of 1,307 of its staff across the country.

The bulletin stated that the approval came following a meeting of the commission held on Tuesday in Abuja.

A breakdown of the promoted staff showed that 14 were officers promoted from Grade Level (GL) 16 to 17 as substantive Directors, while 1,293 were officers from Grade Levels 7 to 16.

It added that the beneficiaries passed their promotion examinations and successfully met the criteria set by the commission.

Meanwhile, the bulletin added that four directors of the commission, who recently retired from the commission, were celebrated and honoured at the commission headquarters.

The retired officers, according to the bulletin, were Mr Ibrahim Bawa, Alhaji Isa Wase, Mr Moses Udoh and Alhaji Ishiaku Gali.

•Suspends Etche LG election indefinitely

RESIDENT Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, says the re-run legislative elections in Etche Local Government Area have been suspended  indefinitely.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Wednesday, that the December 10 elections in the area were marred by violence.

He said elections were scheduled for a state House of Assembly seat and House of Representatives for Etche/Omuma constituency.

He explained that elections did not take place in up to 30 per cent of the local government, because hoodlums disrupted activities in the area.

“In Etche, elections did not take place in up to 30 per cent of the area. Even when deployments were made on the eve of the election, hoodlums went there and stopped INEC officials from going to the polling units.

“Since they did not allow elections to be completed in Etche, that constituency will have to wait. This is because INEC will not go back immediately.  Materials have already gone into the field.  “Some were snatched and destroyed. We need to plan for another election in the area,” Ikoiwak said.

The REC said elections in Omuma Local Government had been concluded and that the result for the federal constituency would be announced when Etche was ready.