Nabena to INEC: Provide clear guidelines for off-cycle elections

Yekini Nabena, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should give clear guidelines for the forthcoming off-cycle elections.

The commission has fixed November 11 for the off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states.

Speaking with reporters in Abuja on Sunday, Nabena said INEC should indicate if it will transmit results from polling units and use bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) in the poll.

The former APC deputy spokesperson said there is currently no clear direction on how the elections would proceed due to the fallout from the tribunals after the last polls.

Nabena is a member of the campaign committee of APC in the Bayelsa governorship election.

“INEC should come out plain this time around. Is it BVAS or we just do whatever we want to do while INEC takes it from there,” he said.

“There is no clear direction. So you can do whatever you want to do then INEC can come back and do what they like. They are telling us INEC said they don’t have the power to transmit.

“INEC must have a clear direction so that voters will know this is the system. So that everybody can protect his or her votes.

“Not somebody that will go to the government house and write these things for INEC. So tell us, are you going to transmit the result from polling units? Or what are you going to do? Are you going to use BVAS? Tell us from day one.

“Let there be a guideline and an understanding that this is it. Not the one court will say INEC can come up with anything they want. Politics is the biggest business in the world.”

Nabena added that Timipre Sylva, APC governorship candidate in Bayelsa, would defeat Douye Diri, the incumbent governor and flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).