BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

OWERRI-Some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, serving in Imo State have been suspended from office and others charged to court for alleged complicity in the political stalemate in the state.

The supervisory Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Imo State, Aniedi Abasi Ikoiwak, who disclosed this yesterday in Owerri while briefing the press, however, resisted the temptation of rolling out the names of the affected INEC staff.

“We have thoroughly examined all INEC staff in respect of the conduct of past elections in the state and those found wanting have been suspended and some others charged to court,” Ikoiwak said.

According to him, INEC has discovered that almost everybody in Imo State now claims to be an observer.  He added that as a result of this startling discovery, the Commission had introduced a fresh revalidation of accreditation of observers.

Warning that any fake observer caught would be commensurately punished, Ikoiwak also disclosed that 90 per cent of the people that would handle the supplementary polls, including collation officers, will come from outside the state.

“INEC staff have been brought from six states and they will go to the affected local government areas and if we discover any funny or strange conduct from any of them, we will act accordingly,” Ikoiwak said.