INEC Chairman Prof. Yakubu Mahmoud has updated the public on the progress of preparations for the off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States.
According to the MISMOB 5,169,692 registered voters in the impacted states will cast their ballots at their assigned polling locations tomorrow.
The head of INEC pointed out that these elections are being held in three different geopolitical zones of Nigeria on the same day for the first time in the country’s history: the North Central (Kogi), the South East (Imo), and the South-South (Bayelsa).
He urged INEC’s permanent and temporary employees to conduct themselves with the utmost patriotism and professionalism, emphasizing that INEC is not a political organization and is not endorsing any particular candidate.
It is “our responsibility to safeguard the process and ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates,” he added in a statement he signed.
“The choice of who becomes the Governor of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States is entirely in the hands of voters.”
We have handed over all election materials, both secret and not. As the single method of voter verification and fingerprint/face biometric authentication, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been set up for deployment to polling places.
The results from each Polling Unit can be found on the INC Result Viewing (IRe) webpage. The training for all election officials has been completed.
Transportation by land and sea has been arranged so that voting may begin as planned. We are committed to having our officials there and ready to serve the voters, rather than having the people wait for us to arrive, despite the significant challenges posed by the terrain and physical infrastructure in some areas.
In order to facilitate these off-cycle elections, the Commission will send two National Commissioners, nine (9) Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and Administrative Secretaries (ASs) from various states to each of the three states, in addition to additional staff from other states. They’ll be spread out among the several senate districts in the United States.
Elections require input from many different parties. There have been takeaways from the most recent elections, as there are from every election. Free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections will still be a priority, but they will require more than INEC’s lone efforts.
We have been assured by the security authorities that the voting process and all of its constituents—voters, election officials, accredited observers, the media, and polling and collection agents—will take place in a safe and secure atmosphere.
The National Peace Committee (NPC) is overseeing the signing of the peace accord by political parties and candidates. Let there be no disruptions, and everyone do their part. This will further strengthen our democratic system.
Mismob Media