The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed the suddenness of the court order reinstating the All Progressives Congress on the ballot for the omission of the acronym of the party on the results sheet for Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Zamfara.
According to statement by the commission’s National Secretary, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and made available in Gusau on Friday, the party on ballot papers for the governorship and state legislative elections but lamented that the party was not on the result sheets..
The statement with reference number INEC/SEC/265/Vol.ll/X and dated 8/3/2019, was circulated to the chairmen of all political parties and other stakeholders in the state.
It recalled its earlier compliance to a Zamfara High Court ruling No. ZMS/GS/52/2018, which ordered the commission to include the APC on the ballot paper for all elections in the state which made it possible for the party to participate in the Feb. 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Oririan-Anthony said, “However, the commission has just discovered that because of the suddenness of the court order, the party (APC) was omitted for the Governorship Result Sheets.
“This omission is deeply regretted.
“As a solution, the commission has decided to manually create columns in each of the Result Sheets after the last printed party, ZLP, and insert the APC.
“This does not affect any other information on the Results Sheet,” it explained.
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr Asmau Maikudi, has assured that the commission had completed all arrangements for an early start of the governorship and state assembly polls in the state.
Maikudi, who commended the cooperation of the stakeholders in the state, especially security agencies, politicians and the media, re-assured that the umpire would conduct free, fair, credible and acceptable election in the state.
She said all elections materials which were distributed to all the 14 local government areas of the state under the supervision of party agents and other stakeholders had reached their destinations without any hitch.
“This will guarantee the good start of the elections process on record time,” she said.
