Electoral Body Can’t Rig Poll without Security Agents, Politicians, Says Ex-Abia Speaker

Emmanuel Ugwu

As anxiety grows over the 2019 general election, former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Agwu U. Agwu, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would conduct a free and fair election to the extent politicians and security agencies do the right thing.

He expressed this view yesterday in a chat with journalists in Umuahia, saying desperation of political actors and overzealousness of security agencies have always been “the problem with the conduction of elections in Nigeria.”

There have been fears that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might not relinquish power in 2019 and that INEC could not be trusted to remain a neutral umpire given the way the ruling party has been using federal agencies to do its bidding.

But Agwu stated that no matter how the electoral body tried to be above board and deliver a transparent poll such efforts would be soiled by people who want to win at all cost and security agents who aid and abet rigging.

“Our problem in Nigeria is not INEC but all of us. Security agencies aid and abet election rigging. The winner-takes-all mentality is what is affecting our election,” he said, adding that the INEC chairman and the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) won’t be in the field to enforce directives,” he said.

According to him, it would be very difficult to stop security agents, party agents, INEC ad hoc staff who would like to look the other way after receiving gratifications at the poling centres.