Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs Amina Zakari has said that the April 11, 2015 House of Assembly election in Ilaje State Constituencies 1 and 2 of Ondo State lacked credibility and the commission is not satisfied with the conduct of the election.
Zakari said this while addressing journalists at the opening of the Resident Electoral Commissioner’s Official Quarters in the state in Alagbaka, Akure, the state Capital.
She was represented by the former National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti states, Professor Lai Olurode.
Zakari said “I was part of that decision, I think the decision was taken in the context of certain developments that we are aware of. We are helpless, once a return has been made the commission cannot do otherwise, it is only a court of law that can reverse it.
“We were not satisfied with the conduct of that election, I think the matter is in the court and I don’t want to sound prejudicial but I can tell you, there was an election that is similar to that of Ondo in Kano and the commission took a stand, a return was made and but the commission took a stand that if the loser went to court, the commission will support him, and we issued a statement that that election was not credible, and the commission will be willing to do the same for Ondo election.
“The days when the election has to be defended by INEC has gone. We don’t need to be defending any action that had been done by the staff of commission at all costs. If the election lacks credibility, I think it will be difficult for any commission put in place by the present government not to toe the line of Jega in terms of not being able to defend what is defensible.”
She added that official residences have been built for INEC Commissioners all over the 19 states of the federation.
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