The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it would not remove it’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Obo Effanga, and reiterated that it does not take orders from anybody.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, stated this while responding to an enquiry from punch’s correspondent.
The National publicity secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, had in a statement on Sunday said that the redeployment of Effanga became necessary to prevent him from skewing the forthcoming supplementary elections in favour of the opposition.
He also alleged that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, through Effanga, engaged the PDP card-carrying members as local government area collation officers in the last poll and was capable of repeating same in forthcoming elections.
When Osaze-Uzzi was asked if the commission would accede to the demands of the APC, the INEC officer said it was the prerogative of the commission to move resident electoral commissioners.
He said: “We have been hearing that for a long time, it is not new. Did we change the REC in Akwa Ibom? The prerogative of moving RECs is that of the commission. INEC doesn’t take directive from anybody. If the commission sees the need to move anybody, at the appropriate time, it will do that and if there is no need, it will keep them where they are.
“It is the complete prerogative of the commission; if and when the need arises, we will make the necessary adjustments. So, we don’t take dictation or pleas from external groups, more so principal players in the game.”