WE HAVE NAMES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN FEB 28 ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN IMO —CIVIL SOCIETY

REPORTER: CHINAZO ILECHUKWU

A civil society group, Better Community Life Initiative wants the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to allow the repeat of use of smart phones at voting cubicles during this Saturday’s house of assembly election in Imo State.

The Project Director of the Organization, Mr. Chibundu Uchegbu, made the appeal in Owerri while assessing the conduct of presidential and National Assembly elections, which the group monitored in the state.

He lamented that the February 25 elections in the area were marred by late arrival of materials, absence of INEC officials in some polling units and violence by thugs.

Mr. Uchegbu claimed that the body had a comprehensive list of persons involved in electoral violence with their sponsors during the presidential poll in Imo State and gave an assurance that the identities of the persons would be disclosed to security agents for prosecution.

He called on heads of security agencies in the state to fish out their personnel that allegedly aided electoral malpractice for sanction and ensure that such unpatriotic individuals were not engaged in the March 18 election.

Mr. Uchegbu alerted the police of possible violence at Nwangele, Oguta, Ohaji-Egbema and Okigwe Local Government Areas and called for proactive measures to forestall any security breach.

The Civil Society group accused INEC in Imo State of compromise and called for the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo state, Professor Sylvia Agu ahead of governorship election, which is slated for November this year.

Mr. Uchegbu said time had come for the International community to activate the visa ban warning it placed on persons found to have subverted the credibility of the general election in the country to serve as a deterrent to those who might want to toe similar line.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU