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National commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be in charge of the crucial supplementary governorship elections holding on Friday in Imo State, officials of the electoral commission said yesterday. The final elections, holding in four local government areas of the state, is seen as a key test for the commission as it rounds up the 2011 general elections. Opposition parties had earlier threatened to pull out of the contest, which mostly pitches incumbent governor Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against frontrunner, Rochas Okorocha, unless the commission tightened its supervision of the exercise.

Mr Okorocha was ahead in the main elections held last week Tuesday, and his party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), insisted he be declared the winner pending the outcome of elections in the four local government areas.

Ahead of the polls, the APGA said it would only participate in the rescheduled polls on the condition that state indigenes, which it accused of colluding with the state governor, were removed from polling and collation duties.

"Ordinarily, we would have rejected the elections because our candidate met the requirements to have been elected a winner, but for the fact that INEC has ordered reelection. Whether it is legal or illegal, we have decided to participate but that will be on those conditions," the party chairman Victor Umeh said in Abuja on Tuesday.

In a measure to soothe the opposition, INEC said all the electoral officers and collation officers in the state have been redeployed. Officials from other states will handle the election duties on Friday.

"The commission has redeployed all of them," said Kayode Idowu, the spokesperson for the chairman, Attahiru Jega.

The commission said key officials from its office in Abuja were being deployed for the exercise in the state which would be supervised by national commissioners.

New management

The commission, which had earlier deployed four new resident electoral commissioners to the state, has also assigned four national commissioners of the commission, four new electoral officers, new supervising presiding officers and new collation officers for the conduct of the election. The former REC of the state, Selina Oko, whom APGA had accused of partiality, has been directed to proceed on compulsory leave. While Aniedi Abasi Ikoiwak is the supervising REC for the supplementary election, other RECs include Mike Iginni from Cross River State, Humphrey Nwangele from Ebonyi State and Nafa Ayilara from Benue State. Ishmael Igbami will represent Mr Jega for the duration of the election.

Mr Ikoiwak assured the people of INEC's commitment to a free and fair election, saying the commission was aware that the international community was watching whatever transpired in Imo.

Mr Iginni also said the INEC team for the election was a crack one that would give no room for any electoral malpractices. "Election riggers should jettison any thought of ballot material snatching, as no ballot result inputed outside the polling unit would be accepted," he said.

Preparation for the election descended into another bout of controversy yesterday after the state government declared a curfew in the four council areas where elections will hold. The state commissioner for information, Elvis Agukwe said the curfew was a pre-emptive measure to forestall any breakdown of law and order in the areas.

But the spokesperson for APGA Chioma Ogoke described the action as an unwarranted and undue heating up of the polity.

"With all the soldiers present, one wonders to what end the governor was slamming a curfew on the people. In fact, it shows he has little confidence on the soldiers on ground," she said.

Go to your state

Meantime, the collection of certificates by candidates who were successful at the just concluded nationwide polls will now be done at the state offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission in a fresh initiative which the commission hopes will help lower its rapport with politicians. The commission said yesterday, the collection of the success certificates at the headquarters in Abuja, as done in the years past, will not hold as candidates for the various positions competed for are now to collect their documentation at the state offices.

Mr Idowu, said the measure is for "administrative convenience".

"The law does not specify where that should be done and as such the decision to award them at the state does not breach any law," he said.

With the new position, only the president and his deputy can be issued with returning certificates at the main office in Abuja, while candidates for the states and national assembly elections will receive their certificates at the state offices.

sincerely this ohakim of a man is . . . . whoa! i no fit laugh