By Chidi Nkwopara, OWERRI.
The Imo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has described the date being bandied about by some interest groups for the re-run elections in the state as “mere rumour”.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the electoral umpire, Mrs. Emmanuella Opara, who disclosed this to Vanguard in a telephone chat Tuesday, also said that “there is no way the National Headquarters of INEC will fix a date for the re-run elections without informing it’s Owerri office”.

She expressed shock over the way some media houses in Owerri not only bought into the rumour but also helped in disseminating false information on the new election date.

“INECis shocked that some people fixed and started spreading March 5, 2016, as the supposed new date for the re-run election. Today is Tuesday and there is no way information about an election that is supposed to be conducted on Saturday, couldn’t have been passed to our office before now”, Mrs. Opara said.

Addressing the accusation of planned rigging of the botched election, leveled against INEC by All Progressives Congress, APC, she said: “The accusation lacks merit, especially as there is no credible evidence that our management can hold on, to indict any staff in the state”.

Continuing, the INEC-PRO insisted that no political party can determine who will conduct the re-run election, stressing that no INEC officer in Imo State has been removed and they are very ready to discharge their official duties when the time comes.

“Please, assist INEC to inform the citizens not to listen to rumour peddlers. INEC cannot conduct the re-run election in secret or to the exclusion of any political party. The people must be properly informed when a date is fixed for the re-run”, Mrs. Opara said.