Rivers Stakeholders Urge INEC to Move Collation Centres to Police Stations

Political party leaders and civil society groups in Rivers State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shift election result collation centres from local government secretariats to police stations before the 2027 general election. They claim that intimidation of opposition agents and manipulation of results have occurred in past elections.

According to former Labour Party chairman Favour Reuben, opposition agents were denied access to collation centres by party officials at the local government level. Ben Ogbugbulam, Rivers State Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, agreed with the proposal. Human rights advocate Dr Jackson Omenazu urged INEC to investigate the allegations and introduce measures to ensure the integrity of the collation process.

Courage Nsirimovu, Coordinator of the PILEX Centre, urged citizens to monitor INEC and its staff to promote transparency and accountability. All stakeholders stressed that equal access for political parties to collation centres is crucial to preventing disputes and maintaining public confidence in election outcomes. However, their allegations of intimidation and result manipulation would need to be independently investigated by relevant authorities.

As preparations for the 2027 general elections advance, INEC was urged to consider measures to address collation process concerns and ensure a transparent, credible, and inclusive electoral process.