The Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) has been accused of employing delaying tactics in releasing certified true copies of election materials to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate in Rijau Local Government, Umar Buda Abubakar. Abubakar’s lawyer, Barrister Emmanuel Egbonoje, submitted a formal request for the documents on November 11, but the commission has yet to release them, citing “security reasons”.
According to Egbonoje, NSIEC officials had initially promised to make the materials available over the weekend, but when he and the candidate visited the office on November 15, they found only the secretary, who claimed he had no instructions to release the documents. The lawyer expressed disappointment that the commission’s office was not fully active and accessible to the public during the post-election period.
The PDP candidate is seeking the documents to file a petition with the election tribunal, but with only 21 days left to submit, time is running out. Egbonoje warned that they may be forced to approach the court to compel NSIEC to release the documents. Abubakar alleged that there was no real election in Rijau, and the delay in releasing the documents may be related to this.
When contacted, NSIEC Secretary Malam Danjuma Bisallah confirmed receipt of the request and assured that the lawyer would be given the certified true copies, but stated that he is not authorized to issue them. The delay in releasing the documents has raised concerns about the transparency and accountability of the electoral process in Niger State.
The request for election materials is a standard procedure in the electoral process, and the delay in releasing them may hinder the candidate’s ability to file a petition. The Electoral Act provides a timeframe for filing petitions, and any delay in obtaining the necessary documents can jeopardize the candidate’s chances of seeking redress.
The situation highlights the importance of timely access to election materials and the need for electoral commissions to be transparent and accountable in their operations. As the deadline for filing petitions approaches, the PDP candidate and his legal team are left with limited options, and the court may be the only recourse to compel NSIEC to release the documents.