The group also described as sad attacks at officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), during the elections.
According to dailytrust and signed by ISDMG Director of Mobilization & Communication, Ms. Faith Nwadishi and Director Legal & Documentation, Ohazuruike Tochukwu Esq, it said reports from its field monitors indicated that there where violence and malpractices in Gokana, Akuku-Toru, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Andoni, Tai and Khana local governments during the polls.
According to it, INEC officials were threatened, attacked and abducted in Polling and Collation Centres with security officers helpless even when they were not supposed to.
The ISMDG said in some incidents, INEC mobilized from the local government areas straight to the Polling Units because thugs made it impossible for them to first deploy to the Registration Area Centres, (RACs).
“We hope that part of the much needed reforms of the electoral process will include the institution of a reprimand process that deters undue and reprehensible heating up of the polity either through actions or rhetoric,” the statement read.
It said incidents recorded by its monitors showed that in Etche local government, hoodlums prevented INEC staff from deploying personnel and materials to Afra ward with 20 PU’s and 3441 registered voters; Mba ward 18 with 14 PU’s and 4503 registered voters; Udofor ward 8 with 8PU’s and 2373 registered voters; Ogwi/Obiro ward 6 (had result sheets snatched); Obite Ward 10 with 6 PU’s and 1866 registered voters; Ulakwo ward 13 with 21 PU’s and 5420 registered voters; Obibi/ Akwukabi ward 9 with 12 PU’s and 2444 registered voters.
The group called on the security hierarchy to investigate thoroughly the involvement of its personnel in the violence that characterized the election, on the backdrop of its stance that the men captured on electronic media are not its men and make their findings public.
It said the security agencies must not only be nonpartisan but alive to their duties of providing security and protection of lives and property.
The group however, called on INEC to commence a full scale investigation on the extent of culpability of identified staff in some of the abnormalities that shadowed the Rivers rerun elections.
Source:dailytrust.
