Check rigging to boost voter’s confidence in election - Osisioma LG tells INEC

By Ijendu Iheaka

October 10, 2017 

The people of Osisioma Ngwa local government in Abia state have charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop election rigging in the state if it must regain the people’s confidence.

The people spoke on Friday through their traditional rulers, party leaders and other stakeholders during a “Confidence Building Town Hall Meeting” at the local government headquarters at Osisioma.

The meeting was organized by the Abia State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Joseph Iloh.

They further requested a meeting that would bring them, INEC officials and Security agency heads together to tell them how the people feel about elections in the area and how to make them better.

Responding to the problem of voter apathy which Iloh said was very high in the area, the APC Youth leader, Chikezirim Orji said that apathy was caused by rigging of elections and asked INEC to stop the trend.

He aligned also with Eche O. Eche, the LG Chairman of Nigerian Peoples’ Congress (NPC) and Chief Solomon Nweke, LG Chairman of All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA) on stopping rigging to sustain confidence in INEC.

They further asked INEC to take the ongoing continuous voter registration to the wards to encourage more registrations because the local government headquarters is far for many people to go to register.

In his contribution, a PDP Chieftain and Commissioner elect, Chief Young Onyeike said that all stakeholders should meet with the security agencies to chart the way forward for credible elections.

He also urged the headquarters of INEC to permit the movement of voter registrations materials to the wards if they sincerely want more persons to register and vote in the next election.

Eze Alwell Ujoatu, Eze Udo II of Mbutu-Umuojima Autonomous Community urged politicians to play their role well in educating their people and loyalists to register adding that the process will benefit them most.

Earlier, the INEC REC, Dr Iloh had said that the meeting was meant to rebuild the confidence of Osisioma people in INEC to ensure they encouraged their youth to register for the next elections. 

Iloh lamented that since the continuous voter registration began 8 months ago in April precisely, the local government had registered only 1, 531 persons which brings their total registered voters to 92, 206.

The REC said that the number was too low for Osisioma, a highly populated urban area and appealed to church leaders, market leaders and politicians to device means to encourage their youths of 18 years and above to go register.

Iloh said promised that there would be no rigging of elections in Abia state in his time

The LG Chairman, Mr Iheeyinna Mgbeahuru thanked the REC for coming to encourage Osisioma people to register for the next elections adding that he had been mobilizing the people but with little results.

He appealed to INEC to change their system and take the registration exercise to the hinterlands to encourage more people to register.