Court Order on INEC’s Account Won’t Affect Ekiti Governorship Election, Says Yakubu

By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the freezing of its account by the court will not affect its readiness to conduct the July 14 governorship election.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC’s chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi who responded to THISDAY’s enquiry on the issue yesterday via text message, said the commission had already taken steps to address the issue.

There were fears that the preparations by the electoral body for the forth coming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States might be in serious jeopardy after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the freezing of its accounts over a N34bn contract.

The Court also ordered the deduction of over N17 billion from the accounts of the electoral body in favour of one of its contractors,  Beddings Holdings Ltd (BHL).

However commenting on whether this will have a major impact on the INEC’s conduct of elections in Ekiti and Osun States, the Spokesman said it will not.

“It will not affect the Ekiti governorship election,” he said.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission has already taken steps to address the issue. The case is a recycled one. It is not new. But since it is now a matter before a Federal High Court,  I would not want to comment further,” he said.

INEC had said that it would be making use of 10, 032 officials to conduct the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti state.

The commission also said provisionally the total number of registered voters that a expected to participate in the Ekiti governorship poll is 919, 513.