LG Poll: AKISIEC Makes U-Turn… Returning Officers To Announce Results

By Asuquo Edem

"The Ad hoc staff of AKISIEC have been authorized to announce results. By the authority of the chief returning officer, the local government returning officers have the right to announce the result, but the declaration of winner is the duty of the Chief Returning Officer"
The above was contained in remarks made by the State Chairman, Akqa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak today during a Press Conference in readiness towards December 2nd Local Government Elections that will hold in the thirty one LGAs across the State.
The AKISIEC boss while emphasising the preparedness of the Commission to conduct a free and fair LG election that will be generally accepted by people of the State, announced that they have taken possession of non-sensitive materials which has been deployed to AKISIEC offices in the thirty one LGAs adding that sensitive materials would only be deployed twenty four hours to the elections.
According to him, voting would begin by 8am and would end by 2pm and that "every voter is expected to be at his/her voting unit with his/her Permanent Voters Card on or before 2pm, after which that person would have disqualified his/her self by appearing late. It is also important to say that every voter is expected to appear in person with his/her voters card. Let me add that we are using the 2015 voter register produced by Independent National Electoral Commission. This means that anyone who registered with INEC in the ongoing continuous voter registration will not have his/her name in the register and therefore is not eligible to vote and had no business at the Polling Unit".
Ikoiwak said that accreditation and voting would be done simultaneously while counting, collating and announcement of votes cast will follow.
He cleared the air that about twenty election observers and civil society groups have Ben accredited to observe the elections while also advising every eligible voter to go to their voting unit to carry out their civic responsibility without fear as security operatives will be on ground to protect persons and materials.
In his remarks, the State NUJ Chairman, Elder Patrick Albert commended the AKISIEC boss for his strides towards conducting credible Local Government elections while calling on stakeholders to play by the rules.

Source: The Sensor Newspaper