The Rivers State Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Aniedi Ikiowak has said the commission followed due process in the recruitment of ad hoc workers for tomorrow’s rerun.
Ikiowak spoke at a security meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, led by Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Sotonye Wakama, heads of security agencies, political leaders, stakeholders and party candidates.
The REC said INEC adhered strictly to its rules in recruiting ad hoc workers.
He noted that it was the first time in the history of elections in the state that politicians were not involved in the recruitment of external workers for elections.
Ikiowak said the decision was informed by the determination of the commission to maintain transparency and conduct credible and acceptable elections.
The REC was responding to an allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that INEC’s ad hoc workers’ list, especially names of those from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) were members of the All Progressives Party (APC).
Ikiowak said he did not generate any list or accept any list from the APC or any other party.
According to him, the lists sent to INEC from institutions and federal agencies were verified by its Abuja while the state’s office had no hand in it.
He said: “This is the first time in elections in this state that we followed strictly the position of INEC in the recruitment of ad hoc workers.
“INEC’s directive on this issue is that we get our ad hoc workers from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It did not say recruit from NYSC, but asks NYSC to give us corps members. You don’t need to know who they are.
“For other ad hoc workers, we are told to write to federal universities in the state. If you did not get enough hands from that in your state, write to federal universities in your neighbouring states: Federal College of Education and federal agencies in the state.”
Ikiowak added: “After my meeting with parties on my arrival into this state, where I promised that I would adhere strictly to directives of the INEC in conducting this election, I wrote to the vice-chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt to give me credible persons who would help to conduct the election.
“The VC sent me a list, which he signed. The rector of the Federal College of Education at Omoku, who I also requested to send me persons, sent a list; which he also signed. The VC of the Federal University at Otueke in Bayelsa State also sent me a list he signed. All federal agencies we wrote to sent their lists, duly signed by heads of the agencies.
“The reason for taking these steps is that in the past when an ad hoc worker committed a crime in an election, such as this, you went to the head of that agency. He would say you recruited them yourself; so, you could not hold the head of that agency responsible for the offence of that worker.
“After these lists were sent to us here (in Rivers State), I bundled them straight to the INEC chairman in Abuja, in accordance with the directives given to us. They said the lists should be sent to Abuja for background information, which we understand is further investigation on the persons in the list. After this, the list was returned to us.
“That is exactly what has happened in this instance.
“I have listened to so many insinuations on this ad hoc workers’ list. I have not taken any list from any party. I can testify that this is the first time this has happened in the history of elections in this state, that parties were not allowed to generate a list of ad hoc workers’ recruitment.
“The list of those who will be collation officers have not even yet been returned to me from Abuja. Yet, following a shortfall, we have written to INEC for approval for the deployment of Level 16 officers of INEC from five states of Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Cross Rivers and Edo.
“The reason for this is because we are afraid that if we should make it open, parties would take undue advantage of the chance to smuggle in names.
“When I write to universities to send me lists, I do not know who is a member of any political party on the list because I do not know them. That is why I asked the VC to send me names of lecturers and not names of party members.”