INEC Refuses To Address Journalists, Bars Party Agents, Observers From Lagos Collation Centre

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials at Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State failed to address the media in the early hours of Sunday as party agents, and observers were barred from the collation centre.

Naija News reports that the latest development by the electoral umpire is against the practice of collating results publicly in the interest of fairness to avoid speculations of rigging.

According to Daily Trust, the returning officer of the Governorship and House of Assembly Elections, took the results from the wards to an inner office where she and some selected persons carried out the exercise.

Journalists and observers who had converged on the collation centre at the end of voting and polling units collation on Saturday were denied access to the inner office.

However, at about 4:58 am on Sunday, the returning officer alongside police escorts left the INEC LGA office at Somolu with the results and it is unclear if they were heading to the state collation centre at Birrel Avenue, Yaba.

An observer, who spoke with the aforementioned publication said, they spent the night outside the INEC office.

He said: “After spending the night outside at the INEC office I was able to get a result snapshot from an official whom I had met in the last presidential election. The person was invited to the inner office.”