The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been called upon to discontinue the use of local government council secretariats for collation centres during the 2023 elections.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Obio/Akpor Constituency 1, Professor Lawrence Chuku made this call during a One-Day Interactive Session with candidates of political parties in Rivers State.

The event, which held at the Police Officers Mess, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, was organized by the Rivers State Police Command in collaboration with INEC.

Chuku, who is a Professor of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Port Harcourt, said the call became imperative having observed that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State connives with unknown persons during elections to deny agents of other political parties access to the council secretariats for collation of results.

For this reason, he enjoined INEC to use a neutral place for collation that will guarantee access to agents of all political parties during elections, informing that the State Commissioner of Police could also, as an alternative, use his good office to evacuate the council secretariats, at least three days to the elections to ensure party agents of opposition parties are not denied access.

He said this has become a recurring challenge in past elections and it has consequently thickened their resolve to resist any form of intimidation from the ruling PDP in the forthcoming elections.

Responding, INEC’s Assistant Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mark Osuro said demographic factors as well as security reports are properly evaluated before citing a collation centre.

He lamented that it is, however, impossible to change a collation centre six months to the elections but called on party agents who are restricted from entering collation centres to swiftly inform the police for immediate assistance.