Rivers, Kano, Imo, Kogi rerun elections to be concluded before July 31 – INEC Chairman

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed readiness to conclude rerun elections in four states not later than July 31, adding that the commission is also ready for the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. It would be recalled that the re-run elections ordered by the court in Rivers, Kogi, Kano and Imo states were cancelled or suspended by the commission following alleged widespread electoral malfeasance and violence which marred the exercise.
Delivering a brief remark in Abuja on Wednesday shortly before his second quarterly meeting with states Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs was dissolved into a closed door session, Yakubu said, “There are a number of issues to be discussed, though this is a regular meeting: notably, the preparations for the forthcoming elections; the conclusion of rerun in Rivers, Kano, Imo and Kogi states.
“We have started the processes of consultation to determine the date for the conclusion of the rerun elections in the four states that I have mentioned not later than July 31.
“We have met with political parties and security agencies. Today, it is the turn of Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs and thereafter tomorrow we shall have the national stakeholders’ forum involving political parties, candidates involved in the elections, the security agencies, Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Civil Society Organizations and the Media to fix a date for the exercise.
“Secondly, we are also going to discuss preparations for the forthcoming end of tenure governorship elections in Edo on September 10 and Ondo on November 26,” he stated.
Yakubu added that INEC has concluded the Continuous Voter Registration CVR exercise in both states, noting that no fewer than 100, 000 people were registered in each of the state.
He stated that the figure is made of eligible Nigerians who have recently come of electoral age as well as those that transferred their data from other states.
The INEC Chairman, who stated that the commission is now into de-duplication to ensure that there are no multiple registrants, assured that “thereafter, we print the PVCs and distribute them before the elections.”