The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed a date for a supplementary election in one local government area of Anambra State where the governorship poll did not hold at the weekend.
It has also suspended the collation of results for the governorship election.
INEC’s Chief Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Florence Obi, announced this on Monday at the commission’s head office in Awka, the Anambra State capital, dashing the hopes of many awaiting the declaration of the winner of the poll.
She, however, said the declaration would be made after the supplementary election has been conducted in the remaining local government area, Ihiala.
She announced that the supplementary election would be conducted in the 326 polling units across Ihiala on Tuesday, November 9.
She said, “We have collated results from 20 out of 21 local government areas. The outstanding results are for Ihiala Local Government Area where for various reasons, the commission could not deploy materials yesterday (Saturday).
“Consequently, based on Constitutional considerations and provisions of the Electoral Act, as well as revised regulations and guidelines for the conduct of election issued by the commission, a supplementary election is indicated for Ihiala Local Government Area.”
Ihiala is the only local government area where elections did not hold out of the 21 council areas in the state.
Obi added, “Clause 47 of the Revised Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of elections provides that supplementary elections shall be conducted where the commission due to logistic challenges is unable to deploy on Election Day.
“Given the foregoing, it becomes imperative to bring Ihiala Local Government Area at par with the other 20 local government areas in this election before we can make a valid declaration in this election or take any further action based on the extant laws.
“Therefore, I, Professor Florence Banku Obi, in my capacity as Returning Officer for this election, hereby announce the suspension of the process of collation of results and declaration of a winner until a supplementary election is held in the 326 polling units in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.
“I have conferred with the commission, being the body that fixes the date for the election, and the commission has decided that the supplementary election will take place on Tuesday, 9th November 2021. Therefore, the collation of results shall resume thereafter.”
INEC had on Sunday announced results for 20 out of the 21 local government areas with the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Charles Soludo, winning in 18.
