Following the suspension of the Ekiti East state constituency election over reports of violence, the commission said it was too early to speculate on when the election would hold given the level of violence.
The election, which held on March 20, left four people dead, including a policewoman, while some others sustained injuries.
Asked when the election would hold, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said “innocent voters died. A policewoman on electoral duty died. Innocent persons were injured. Fear and apprehension were created in the minds of the voters and electoral personnel. The indefinite suspension of the election led to loss of resources expended in the conduct of the election and tension has yet to abate.
“It is too early to speculate on when the election will hold. Families are still in mourning and our condolences to the families of all those who lost loved ones during the election. We also wish those that sustained various degrees of injuries quick recovery.
“The commission will meet at an opportune time to review the conduct of the election and take a decision on the way forward. But it is too early in the day to talk about going back to conduct the election. Going back now will send a dangerous signal to the effect that those who died are expendable commodities and do not matter.”
Asked what INEC thought was the best way to curtail the excesses of politicians who frustrate the peaceful conduct of elections, he said the commission was in support of the creation of Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal to handle the issue of arrest, investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders.
