- INEC has assured voters of a peaceful 2019 general elections in Ebonyi state
- The resident electoral commissioner in Ebonyi state made this assurance in Abakaliki on Friday, December 22
- He also urged politicians to play the game of politics according to the rules
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured voters of a peaceful 2019 general elections in Ebonyi state, The Guardian reports.
NAIJ.com gathered that the commission also assured voters that their votes would count in the elections.
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The Ebonyi state resident electoral commissioner, Prof Godswill Obioma, gave the assurance in Abakaliki on Friday, December 22 while addressing newsmen during the commission's 2017 Christmas Carol and Festival of Nine Lessons held at its headquarters.
He said the occasion of the carol and nine lessons is used for reinforcement of Christmas which signified peace, love and unity.
Obioma urged people to live in unity and peace with one another.
He said: “Carol is peace. We are using the carol to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and in the process send messages of peace to our audience.
“So while celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we wish the people of Ebonyi peace, stability, unity and purpose of mind and wish them a new and prosperous happy year in advance."
He also urged politicians to play the game of politics according to the rules while he expressed optimism on the conduct of smooth, credible and violence-free elections in the forthcoming 2019 general elections in the state.
He said: “We are independent umpires and we don’t anticipate anything but the best; our anticipation is that let the winners be sworn-in and let the votes count.
” Our anticipation is that there will be no snatching of ballot boxes, our anticipation is that as usual there will be no loss of lives, our anticipation is that as it has been in the past, there will be no rancour.
“The contending parties will campaign within the ambit of the law and electoral guidelines and will do it purposefully.
“They will go to the field and canvass for votes and our anticipation is that there will be no corruption and by corruption we mean that there will be no buying of votes.
“The people should be allowed to cast their votes according to their right of franchise and according to their choice. ”
He urged eligible adult electorate to obtain their voter cards so as to vote in the forthcoming general elections.
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Obioma said: “We enjoin those who have attained 18 years and above to come out and register while those who have lost their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) or whose PVCs are defaced should use the period of the CVR to renew their cards."
The electorate were against selling of PVCs. He said that doing so would amount to self disqualification and self disenfranchisement.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported 326 members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed their promotional examination while 7,330 personnel passed and have been approved for promotion.
This was revealed in a statement by the chief press secretary to the chairman of the commission, Rotini Oyekanmi, on Wednesday, December 20.
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Source: Naija.ng
ROSY CREST
Saturday, 23 December 2017