THE chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has assured voters in Kogi that voting in the November 11 governorship election in the state will commence at 8. 30am.
Yakubu said this when he visited the commission’s office in Kogi Local Government (LGA) in Kotonkarfe to monitor a mock accreditation exercise in Lokoja on Saturday, October 14.
“We are giving our words to Nigerians that we must open polling units at 8.30 a.m. on the dot. Therefore, you must activate the RACs. If you don’t activate the RACs, we can’t actualise the commencement of the votes at 8:30 a.m.
“You must activate the RACs with security, and I am happy that you are working in partnership with them,” Yakubu stated.
He advised the Electoral Officers (EOs) in the state to follow the standard template for logistics deployment at Registration Area Centres (RACs) and work with security agencies for the election to commence in Polling Units (Pus) as scheduled.
“My advice to you is that you have to use the standard template for this election. I am glad to hear that all the non-sensitive materials have been received by your local government. And I’m sure it’s the same story in other local governments.
“But it’s not only the receipt of the material that is important. You have to batch them so that they go into the box per polling unit. So, on election day, as you move to the super RACs or the RAC centres, you will then move to the polling units,” he said.
The INEC chairman also mentioned security as a primary concern in the state’s conduct of the November 11 Kogi governorship election.
Yakubu said that the commission was working with the security agencies to deliver a secure atmosphere for peaceful and credible exercise.
“So, we are everywhere working together. And I’m happy we are working together as we prepare for the elections, “he stated.
He commended all the INEC staff and security agencies in the state.
According to the Electoral Officer for the Kotonkarfe Local Government Area (LGA) office, Hassan Musa, the election preparations have advanced.
Musa said INEC in the local government had received all the non-sensitive election materials and was working with security agencies to ensure a smooth poll.
He stated that the commission would visit the RAC facilities in the LG in the coming weeks to check on the preparations.
“We have received virtually all the non-sensitive materials for the election, and we have successfully dispatched them to the PUs level, and we are good to go. We don’t have any shortfall for now.
“What we are waiting for is sensitive materials. As you know, sensitive materials come a few days before the election. We have received virtually all the non-sensitive materials and successfully dispatched them to PU levels. And we are good to go, sir. We don’t have any shortfall for now,” Musa said.
In less than a month (on November 11), Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo state residents will elect a new governor as INEC conducts the states’ off-cycle governorship poll.
The states are three of six states in Nigeria with off-season governorship polls. Others are Ondo, Edo and Osun.
While the current governor of Imo State’s term expires on January 14, 2024, Okoye said the governors of Kogi and Bayelsa States had respective terms that expire on January 26, 2024, and February 13 of the same year.
The ICIR, in this report, presented the top candidates in the three states and their chances.
A reporter with the ICIR
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