National chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Okey-Nwosu, says Nigerians should give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the benefit of the doubt over its promise to uphold the law in releasing the results of the November 11 governorship elections coming up in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.
The national chairman of the ADC spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, on Sunday, while reacting to the declaration on Saturday by the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu Okey-Nwosu, that the poll would be transmitted electronically.
Nwosu observed that certain factors, such as security and logistics, are beyond the commission’s core mandate during elections.
He noted that the INEC had done well relatively in the conduct of off-season elections such as the ones coming up in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states next month.
“INEC has always done fairly well in off-season elections. The leadership of INEC are human, and Nigerians, too. They are uncomfortable with the outcry and what is playing out.
“I believe that the type of progress we have made in building the infrastructures that will ensure transparency and give credibility to our electoral process could not have been built by irresponsible, dirty and dubious minds.
“These things can only be thought out, organised and put to work by persons who desire the best outcome.
“Things can happen in different aspects of the large spectrum of the election ecosystem. Election security, national security and logistics are beyond the purview of INEC.
“The work involved in the general election is daunting, and I believe a good study and understanding of the last general election needs time for in-depth studies.
“So, we take INEC for their words as independent umpires struggling to do their best. I appeal for the cooperation and support of all the other agencies and persons within the election concourse, the police, the Department of State Security, ad-hoc staff and the politicians themselves.
To our party members and supporters, we ask them, as always, to be extra vigilant,” he stated.
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