The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on had on Sunday 17th March, 2019 picked a new date for a supplementary election in the constituency in Ekiti State’s House of Assembly where election into the House of Assembly was declared inconclusive during the 9th March 2019. According to INEC the supplementary election will be taking place on 23rd March, 2019.
The supplementary election will be taking place at the Ekiti East Constituency 1 where the 9th March, 2019 election was declared inconclusive by the commission as a result of reported cases of violence and other cases which disrupted to smooth process of the election in the constituency.
The new date for the supplementary election was announced on Sunday 17th March, 2019 at the Ekiti State capital, Ado Ekiti by the commission’s Administrative Secretary in the state who also doubles as the Commission’s Acting Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Muslim Omoleke.
Mr. Muslim Omoleke while making the announcement called on all political parties who are to participate in the election to get reading for the afore-mentioned date. He gave assurance to all political parties that INEC would ensure they stick to their tradition of neutrality and fairness in the forthcoming supplementary election.
According to the directives of the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, the supplementary election will be holding in five polling units in the Ekiti East Constituency 1 which is the only seat remaining after the election of 9th March, 2019 had already produce winners for the other twenty-five (25) constituencies which were in the favour of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
According to Muslim Omoleke, within the week, INEC would be having a meeting with all security agencies concerned to ensure that they are fully ready for the supplementary election on 23rd March, 2019.
In explaining the reason behind declaring the elections inconclusive by INEC he stated that the commission decided to suspend elections in the polling units, thereby making the outcome inconclusive, in line with its promise to be neutral and be fair to all contenders in any election.
Highlight from his speech stated thus:
“We are prepared for the election and we will not deviate from the practice of fairness and neutrality to all political parties.
“We will meet the security agencies this week and brief them on how the conduct will look like, so they can plan their own strategies on how to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
“We have already received materials from the headquarters and they are being kept in the Central Bank of Nigeria, the materials are under safe custody.
“We want to assure voters that we will not let them down. Let them come out massively and vote and we assure them that their votes will count.
“INEC did not disappoint in the conduct of the presidential, the state and national assembly elections in Ekiti, this also will not be an exemption,” Mr Omoleke said.
The supplementary election is between Ojo-AdE Fajana of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Juwa Adegbuyi of the APC.
