The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr Anugbum Onuoha, on Wednesday stated he’s not afraid of being eliminated because the primary electoral officer of the state, noting that if eliminated, he would merely be deployed to a different state.
Onuoha said this at a press briefing in Benin Metropolis whereas reacting to requires his elimination as REC by the management of the Peoples Democratic Celebration, PDP, within the state.
The REC, who stated PDP was blind to the workings of the fee, described the prevailing mentality within the nation’s electoral system as absurd.
In keeping with him, “this mentality in our electoral system, that anyone that loses election will abuse INEC, and anyone that wins, INEC is one of the best, just isn’t good in any respect.
“You failed the election and also you at the moment are asking that the REC must be faraway from workplace. Is it the REC that made you fail an election? Will the REC be in all of the polling items?
“They’re calling for my elimination. Although I’m eliminated, I will likely be transferred to a different state. I’m not afraid of being eliminated. What I’m doing right here my conscience is alive and each employees of the fee their conscience is alive too.
“I advised you that the election just isn’t an occasion alone. It’s a course of. Although we’ve got achieved our personal, it doesn’t cease there, the courtroom has each proper to say this election was not carried out based on the related electoral legal guidelines and laws.
“The issue we individuals have is that we don’t know when to ask questions. The issue with Nigerians, is it institutional or authorized framework?
“The legal guidelines and laws say we must always do that, can the REC be a polling clerk, can REC be a Supervisor, an EO or Head of Departments?
“Our individuals simply wish to say one thing. What about different those that had been concerned within the elections just like the electoral officers and amongst others. Ought to everyone be deployed?
“The Supreme Court docket of Nigeria has stated that we carried out a reputable election. So anyone that’s saying in any other case just isn’t speaking the reality. The best courtroom within the land has spoken in favour of INEC. I anticipate you individuals to congratulate us.”
Onuoha maintained that even when all of the electoral officers and employees had been faraway from the state workplace and others redeployed to supervise its affairs, the construction of the fee would by no means give room for electoral compromise or manipulation.
