The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to deploy a total of 46,084 staff for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi. This includes regular and ad hoc staff who will be involved in various election duties.
During a regular quarterly meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, provided details of the staff deployment. In addition to the staff, there will also be 137,934 party agents representing the 18 political parties participating in the elections. This comprises of 130,093 polling agents and 7,841 collation agents who will be present at the polling stations and collation centers respectively.
To ensure transparency and credibility, INEC has accredited 126 national and international organizations, who will deploy 11,000 observers to monitor the elections. Furthermore, 80 media organizations have submitted applications to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists and technical/support staff, to report on the elections. The commission is also making arrangements for vehicles and boats for the transportation of personnel and materials.
However, Prof. Yakubu emphasized that a secured environment is essential for such a massive deployment. He expressed concern about the prevailing insecurity and election-related violence in the three states. INEC has received assurance from the security agencies regarding adequate deployment, but the commission will continue to engage with them to ensure the safety of all involved in the elections. Stakeholder meetings are also planned at the national and state levels to address concerns and enhance preparations.
Looking ahead to the elections, Prof. Yakubu expressed confidence in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). The system, which involves biometric authentication of voters and result uploading to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), has been successfully tested in designated polling units during a recent mock accreditation exercise. INEC expects improved performance of the BVAS in the forthcoming elections.
In terms of logistics, all non-sensitive materials required for the elections have been delivered to the three states. The elections will involve 5,409,438 registered voters in 10,510 polling units across 649 electoral wards in 56 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Training and other preparatory activities are on course, and lessons learned from the 2023 general election will be utilized to enhance the commission’s performance.
Finally, Prof. Yakubu mentioned that reports on the 2023 general election and its review are being finalized. With these preparations and measures in place, INEC aims to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi.
NAN
