Nigerian election: The electoral commission will cancel some results due to violence.
During the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kogi State, the Independent National Electoral Commission threatened to cancel election results in crisis-affected areas.
The state's Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hale Longpet, issued the warning while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja about the crises that erupted in some Local Government Areas.
According to The Punch, there were reports of thugs interfering in some polling units in Anyigba and Dekina in Kogi East, Mopa in Kogi West, and parts of Kogi Central, where voting materials were allegedly carted away by the thugs.
"You know the electoral Law says that where there are disruptions to the process, the result will be cancelled, the very specific units' results will be cancelled," the REC said in response to the issues. The problems were initially limited to Kogi East and Central, but I won't know where and when the problems occurred until the results are announced by the electoral officers.
"We understood that because of the violence, those affected areas couldn't conclude election there. I'm astounded that people can descend to that level and disrupt something that everyone should have been able to enjoy."
In addition to lamenting the loss of life, the commissioner praised the peaceful conduct of the elections in some areas.
"Election is a peaceful and willful thing that people are offered to freely participate. Again, if people are assured that everyone will have a pleasant experience, why should we have thugs invading the entire town or local government and disrupting the conduct of the elections?" he asked.
"This is very sad and shocking when you look at the loss of lives involved," Mr Longpet added.
"Election is not war," he explained, "so if you were standing in for election to provide services to your people, you don't need to engage in these destructive activities."
People who want to do good in their communities, he says, "go out to positively engage and vote or exercise their franchise, and they should not be stopped or denied the opportunity."
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