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The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Anambra State, Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not responsible for election rigging in Nigeria
Speaking in Awka at a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization workshop on Mandate Protection, Dr. Agwu dismissed widespread claims of electoral fraud allegedly orchestrated by INEC, insisting that the commission neither rigs elections nor has the means to do so.
Southeastposts reports that the event was organized by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), ahead of the upcoming Anambra governorship election scheduled for November 8.
Agwu said, “INEC is just a small item in the big electoral process. The Police, Army, Civil Defence, FRSC and others are all involved. We have returning officers for the state, 21 local governments, 326 wards, and all polling booths. These are ad hoc workers,” Dr. Agwu stated.
She stressed that electoral manipulation is often the handiwork of politicians, who later shift the blame to INEC when their efforts fail.
“On election day, you won’t see INEC officials outside. We only see the result sheet once, when results from all locations are collated. The truth is, money exchanges hands during elections, and it is instigated by politicians.
“When someone loses, they shout that INEC has rigged them out. We are destroying ourselves in the name of politics,” she said.
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