INEC denies rejecting Edison Ehie’s resignation
By Kunle Sanni –
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted reports suggesting it refused to accept the resignation of Edison Ehie, former lawmaker representing Ahoada-East Constituency II in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Ehie resigned from the assembly in December 2023, at the height of the state’s political crisis, to take up the position of Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Clarifying the matter in a statement on Wednesday, Geraldine Ekelemu, Acting Head of Voter Education and Publicity, described recent media reports on the issue as “misleading” and a misrepresentation of comments made by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Gabriel Yomere, during a meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on September 29.
“The Hon. REC was very transparent in his statement that the decision as to the organization of any election lies solely with the Commission’s Headquarters,” Ekelemu said.
INEC stressed that it has no constitutional power to declare a legislative seat vacant or to validate a lawmaker’s resignation. The commission explained that its responsibility is limited to conducting a by-election once it receives formal communication from the relevant legislative authority.
“The decision of INEC on when to conduct a by-election is only conditioned on its receipt of a formal notice from the appropriate authorities recognized by the Constitution, stating that any legislative seat has become vacant,” the statement read.
The commission further clarified that Yomere’s comments had been misconstrued as a policy pronouncement, insisting that claims it rejected Ehie’s resignation were “factually incorrect and legally unfounded.”
“INEC does not adjudicate on the validity of a declaration of vacancy,” it added. “Once it has been signed and transmitted by the authorized legislative authority—in this case, the Rivers State House of Assembly—the Commission will commence the processes required to conduct a by-election in line with constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act.”
