NUJ Says No INEC REC In Delta

The Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), says no Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Delta State, less than 30 days to the nation’s general elections.

Chairman of the NUJ, Delta State Council, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, stated this in a statement obtained by BigPen Online on Saturday, warning that the people of the state would not accept any ad-hoc situation that will truncate credible elections.

According to him, he spoke of the development when the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Delta State Chapter, led by the State Coordinator, Mr Raymond Omorodion paid the council a courtesy visit in Asaba on Friday.

Comrade Ikeogwu noted that it was very unfortunate for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be treating the issue of no REC in the state and a substantive Administrative Secretary with lavity.

He called for an immediate deployment of the officer to the state.

Ikeogwu bemoaned the lack of visible activities in the INEC office in the state few weeks to the presidential and national assembly elections.

According to him, some of the pre-election activities such as voter education, distribution of permanent voters’ cards (PVCs), and relocation of unit/ward venues without adequate awareness creation as capable of causing low participation of eligible voters in the electoral process.

“We understand training is going on in others states and at the national level of INEC for critical stakeholders but no one has said anything here in Delta State” Comrade Ikeogwu noted.

“We are aware about 400,000 PVCs have not been collected and INEC is not bothered and reports reaching us indicate that people who made effort to collect their PVCs could not do so because the INEC ad-hoc staff are nowhere to be found.”

The chairman reiterated the need for INEC in the state to put in place without delay the necessary arrangements to foster free, fair and transparent processes to bring about credible and acceptable elections in Delta State.

Ikeogwu however assured the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) of a cordial working relationship to entrench credible elections in Nigeria.

Comrade Ikeogwu reckoned that the times called for genuine efforts to make Nigeria get it right in its electioneering process, noting that the TMG was a reliable organization that had over the years helped in ensuring the enthronement of credible elections.

While pledging to mobilize the media in giving expression to the activities of the TMG, particularly in this election period, the comrade chairman called for the propagation of ideological-based party manifestoes among the different political parties, lamenting that one could hardly differentiate among the numerous political parties.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the TMG, Delta State Chapter, Mr Raymond Omorodion, who spoke through his deputy, Pastor Edewor Egedegbe, harped on collaboration with the NUJ and the need to institute credible elections to guarantee people-oriented governance.