The Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kayode Idowu, on Tuesday defended the decision by the Commission to redeploy Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), maintaining that “it is just a routine operational procedure”.
While noting that “the decision is for the good running of the commission”, he said the “commission is yet to publish the list of nominated candidates and cannot reject any candidate nominated by a political party”, adding that what INEC has published is the “personal particulars of candidates”.
INEC had redeployed its RECs in 36 states and the FCT as part of preparations for the 2015 general elections.
INEC Secretary, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu, has also directed the commissioners to conclude all handing and taking over formalities by Dec. 31, 2014.
According to her, Prof. O.E. Onukaogu has been deployed from Abia to Enugu State; Prof. Tukur Sa’ad from Adamawa to Bauchi State and Ahmed Makama from Bauchi State to Taraba.
Accordingly, Mike Igini has been deployed from Edo to Delta; Selina Oko from Ebonyi to Abia; Edwin Nwatarali from Enugu State to Anambra and Sadiq Abubakar from Kaduna State to Sokoto State.
Similarly, Jibrin Zarewa from Kano State to Kebbi; Hussaini Mahuta from Kastina to Kaduna; Abubakar Wara from Kebbi to Zamfara; Emmanuel Onucheyo from Kogi to Kwara and Rufus Akeju from Lagos to Oyo State.
Abdullahi Danyaya from Niger to Nasarawa; Timothy Ibitoye from Osun to Ogun; A.L. Ogunmola from Oyo to Osun; Barito Kphagih from Rivers to Bayelsa and Haliru Tambuwal from Sokoto to Jigawa.
Kassim Geidam from Yobe to Gombe; Ibrahim Marafa from Zamfara to Kastina State; Aniedi Ikoiwak from Akwa Ibom to Delta; Habu Zarma from Gombe to Yobe and Akin Orebiyi from Ogun to Lagos.
Hussaini Halilu Pai from Kogi to FCT; Kwanga Mbatsavbee from Benue to Plateau; Sylvester Ezeani from Anambra to Cross-River; Minkaila Abdullahi from Jigawa to Kano State and Lawrence Azubuike from Imo to Ebonyi.
Sam Olumekun from Ondo State to Ekiti; Istifanus Dafwang from Plateau to Benue; Gesila Khan from Bayelsa to Rivers; Samuel Madaki from Taraba to Borno and Gabriel Ada from Cross-Rivers to Imo.
Jacob Jatau from Nasarawa to FCT; Baba Yusuf from Borno to Adamawa; Segun Agbaje from Ekiti to Ondo State; Nasir Ayilara from Kwara to Niger and Austine Okojie from Edo to Akwa-Ibom.
