Don advises INEC to suspend further elections in Rivers

A don, Prof. Chubah Ezeh, on Wednesday advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend further re-run elections in Rivers until the tensed atmosphere was defused.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that killings, maiming, and threat to lives of the electoral officers and the electorate marred Saturday’s re-run elections in the state.

Ezeh, who is a Professor of Political Economy at the Anambra State University, gave the advice in an interview with NAN in Enugu.

“If I were INEC Chairman, what I would do now is to just hold the election (re-run election) in Rivers State in abeyance.

“For now, let the incumbent continue in power; while we go back into our (INEC) drawing board.

“Drawing our inspiration from both the Electoral Act and then from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“You cannot even go to some areas now (in Rivers State) (and) begin to locate votes.

“We are talking about human casualties; (death) figures rising on daily basis.

“And who is even safe to go and collate and collect results from those areas that are left undone; and who is even going to declare results in those areas. How safe are you (INEC officials)?

“We can only forestall further bloodshed by trying now to hold that election in abeyance. It is very important.

“And let us begin to learn the lesson.’’

According to him, the situation in Rivers negates all democratic norms and threatens to erode the gains the country recorded in the 2015 general election.