BEN AGANDE, ABUJA

The Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday clarified that there would be no new election in Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State.

In a statement in Abuja, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu said since elections were held in the constituency but results were not declared, the commission would appoint a new returning officer to declare the results.

The statement reads: “There will be no fresh election in Ika Federal Constituency in Delta State on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.This is to correct the misunderstanding that a rerun election has been scheduled to hold in the constituency. 

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hereby clarifies that an election was duly held in the two local governments that make up the Ika Federal Constituency on April 9, 2011.

“The results from the various polling units were collated at the ward level. The process continued to the local government level where the results from the wards were collated.   But when the results collated at the local government level were presented for collation at the constituency level, the Returning Officer, Dr. Godwin Avwioro, failed to collate the results from Ika North/East Local Government Area of the constituency.

“Having failed to collate all the results for the constituency, he could not declare a winner, thus making the election inconclusive. Given that election had held, and the results collated up to the local government level, the Commission has resolved that another Returning Officer be appointed to do the final collation and announce the outcome”.