The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the postponement of the Enugu South 1 State Constituency rerun election, citing security reasons.
The election, initially scheduled for June 8, was delayed following stakeholders’ engagements.
According to INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Enugu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the commission communicated the postponement to all stakeholders, citing security concerns. No new date has been announced for the rerun election, according to Nigerian Tribune.
This development comes after the initial election was declared inconclusive, leading to the scheduling of the rerun.
The postponement has sparked concerns among political parties and voters in the constituency.
INEC has assured the public that a new date will be announced once the security issues are resolved.
Dr Chukwu stated, “Last week, the scheduled rerun election was postponed and duly communicated to all stakeholders with a clear reason for the postponement.
“But I am surprised some misguided people are taking up all sorts of unfounded falsehoods and rumours against the commission that it seems the election had been held in secret even as I am speaking to you.”
The election was initially held on March 18, 2023, where Mr Bright Ngene of the Labour Party was declared the winner and sworn in.
However, the election was later nullified by the tribunal for being inconclusive. This recent postponement marks the third attempt by INEC to conduct the rerun election.
On the scheduled day, voters gathered at the affected polling units early in the morning, but no INEC officials were present.
Mr Ngene expressed his disappointment, stating that he had received no information about the postponement.
Conversely, Mr Sam Ngene, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, confirmed that the postponement was communicated to his party.
