INEC ends emergency meeting, says a decision has been taken

Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the electoral body has taken a decision on the elections.

Oyekanmi said this at the end of an emergency meeting which held at the INEC headquarters of on Friday.

He said Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, would soon brief Nigerians on the outcome of the meeting.

The commission had summoned stakeholders to a meeting to discuss the logistics challenges that could affect the exercise.

In some states, electoral materials had not been distributed as of 9pm, making some members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to allege that there is a deliberate plot to sabotage the exercise.
yodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, also accused the commission of deliberately hoarding materials for the elections in some states to frustrate the PDP.

Fayose said he was aware that ballot papers and result sheets for presidential and senatorial elections were not in Ekiti as of 9pm, adding that only materials for house of representatives were distributed.

Speaking through Lere Olayinka, his media aide, Fayose said similar situations have already been reported in Oyo, Taraba, Edo, Niger, Ogun and Rivers.

In Niger state, Sam Egwu, the resident electoral commissioner (REC), said elections might not hold in Niger east and Niger north senatorial districts because the ballot papers meant for the zones were missing.

“The issue has been reported to the INEC’s Headquarters in Abuja for urgent attention. The officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria saddled with the responsibility of securing the electoral sensitive materials have gone to Abuja for the last batch of the sensitive materials for Saturday’s elections in the state, so we are waiting,’’ he said at a press conference.