INEC didn’t mean to say they sacked me —former Cross River REC

The immediate past Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Frankland Briyia, says reports claiming that he was sacked by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are false.

Reacting to claims that he was sacked for using the INEC premises in Cross River to declare his membership of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Briyia stated that the commission lacked the powers to unilaterally sack him.

Briyia said his preliminary investigations revealed that the report was fake, adding that he only resigned his appointment to join partisan politics and participate in the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Speaking on Wednesday at the secretariat of the APC in Yenagoa, Briyia said: “No, INEC did not say so. INEC never meant to say so. I officially and legally resigned my appointment and INEC will attest to that. Let me state this. The REC is nominated by the President and the President sends the nominees to the Senate.”

READ ALSO: Group flays sacking of INEC REC, says it’s unlawful

“The Senate screens them and if they’re found worthy confirms them and sends them to the President and the President eventually gives them appointments. The moment the appointment is given to the REC and the REC does anything wrong, INEC will investigate and sends its reports and makes its recommendation of what will happen to the REC whether he will be disciplined or not to the President.

“If the President and his team actually investigate and if he sees that what the REC has done actually contravenes the code of conduct, he will send the report to the Senate. The Senate will debate it, if the two-third majority of the Senate finds what the REC wrong, the Senate will rectify it and send it back to the President.

“It thereafter the President only, can sanction the REC. I have contacted INEC headquarters and the news about my sack is fake news. INEC said they didn’t say a thing like that. I’m sure you have watched or maybe read INEC publication, you won’t find anything like sack because I resigned officially.

“My departure created a vacuum and in INEC tradition the moment there’s no REC the administrative secretary takes over, that was what INEC meant. INEC doesn’t mean that I was sacked. So, don’t misquote INEC”.

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