by Ranti Joseph

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the high level of rejected votes across the country signaled a dangerous trend that needed to be tackled by the Commission in partnership with the political parties.

The Commission’s worry was based on the high level of voided votes that were recorded in last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections. A total of 10,118 votes were rejected during the last year’s governorship election in Ekiti State. The commission lamented that it had expected that there would be an improvement in the 2015 general election.

The INEC’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) in Ekiti State, Taiwo Gbadegesin on Tuesday told journalists that the figure of votes that were invalid across the country, especially in the state, was a matter of concern assuring Nigerians that the on-going counting and gradual release of presidential/National Assembly results does not in any way affects underground preparations for April 11 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

Gbedegesin said INEC is ready to offer Nigerians credible and acceptable elections during the April 11 governorship election, saying every arrangement has been put in place for smooth conduct of the poll.

“Virtually all state offices, including Ekiti are done with presidential/National Assembly polls since reports of the outcome of the last exercise had already been submitted to Abuja, and have, unknown to many Nigerians, shifted attention to intense preparations for the last lap of the exercise on April 11,” he said.

He expressed regrets that rather than improve, the situation got aggravated in the last Saturday’s poll exercise as several thousands of votes were again cast wrongly by the electorate, despite weeks of mobilisation and sensitisation of voters by INEC, NOA and other agencies of government stating that there was no basis for anyone to queue in the rain or scorching sun for several hours for accreditation and voting, only for such an anxious voter not to have his vote counted at the end of the day as a result of error in thumb-printing.

Gbadegesin called on all political parties and their candidates to compliment the effort of INEC by providing needed and timely voter’s education for the supporters in order to reduce the growing incidences of voided votes.
He said such voter education should be largely concentrated on the semi-illiterates as well as old people who reside in rural areas.

Janeth J