Incidents of violence observed in last Saturday’s by-election in Kano State cannot continue as they constitute a great impediment to enthroning the voting power of the people, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
In a statement emailed to Huhuonline.com, the body condemned acts of harassment, intimidation and thuggery in the election, and urged security agencies to be more vigilant in future situations.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received reports of assault, intimidation and harassment of voters and election officials during the by-elections into Gaya and Garko state assembly constituencies in Kano State held on Saturday, February 2, 2013,” a part of the statement read.
“Field reports available to the commission revealed that mobs of armed youths disrupted the electoral process in some areas, harassing and intimidating innocent voters. Electoral officials were also intimidated, harassed and threatened, while some INEC supervisory officials were assaulted.”
In the statement, signed by Kayode Idowu, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, it expressed “high disappointment” that the culture of thuggery, intolerance and unruly conduct by partisans still bedevil the electoral process in our country.
“Regrettably, reports also showed that despite the overwhelming show of force by armed youths during the Kano State by-election, security agents failed to intervene,” the statement added.
“INEC is concerned that under the circumstance, the elections were conducted in an unwholesome atmosphere that interfered with voters’ exercise of their freedom of choice.”
The Commission further affirmed that “this sort of situation must not be allowed in our political process because it subverts the fundamental principle of free, fair and credible elections” and urged “security agencies to remain vigilant; and to promptly intervene, whenever necessary, against the use of thuggery to intimidate or harass voters, thereby subverting the political process.”
