INEC Counters Governor Fubara’s Claims of Election Bias, Cites Pending Court Cases

|By Adejumo Adekunle-

• Electoral body insists it cannot act on Rivers Assembly vacancies due to ongoing litigation.
• Says governor failed to provide evidence of alleged selective election conduct.
• Urges public officials to avoid misleading statements that undermine institutions.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, accusing the Commission of selectively conducting elections to fill vacant legislative seats.

Fubara had recently claimed that INEC was being biased in implementing elections to replace lawmakers who switched political parties, particularly in the wake of the crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly. The Assembly has been embroiled in turmoil, with two factions battling for supremacy after 27 lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Responding in a statement on Friday, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, said the governor failed to present specific instances of the alleged selective action. He emphasized that the vacancies in the Rivers Assembly remain subject to legal proceedings, making any electoral intervention premature.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission has been joined in multiple lawsuits at various courts, including the Supreme Court,” the statement read.

INEC maintained that it would not engage in any action that could be rendered void or amount to a waste of public funds, stressing that the rule of law must take precedence. The Commission further advised public officials to exercise caution in their statements to avoid misleading the public and undermining institutions, especially when aware of ongoing legal battles.