INEC Announces Readiness for Off-Cycle Elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States

By Iyojo Ameh

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its preparedness for the upcoming off-cycle Governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States. In a statement personally signed by the INEC Chairman and made available to www.

citypost.ng, he assured Nigerians that all necessary arrangements have been finalized.

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been configured for deployment to Polling Units, serving as the sole means for voter verification and fingerprint/facial biometric authentication.

The Chairman emphasized that Polling Unit results would be promptly uploaded to the INC Result Viewing (IRe) portal, highlighting that election duty officials have undergone comprehensive training.

In less than 48 hours, a significant number of 5,169,692 Nigerians holding Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) are anticipated to cast their votes in these unprecedented simultaneous elections across three geo-political zones: North Central (Kogi), South East (Imo), and South South (Bayelsa).

The Chairman urged all election officials, both regular and ad-hoc, to demonstrate patriotism and professionalism. Emphasizing INEC’s impartial stance, he reiterated the Commission’s commitment to ensuring a level playing field for all political parties and candidates, leaving the choice of Governors in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi entirely in the hands of the voters.

All sensitive and non-sensitive materials required for the elections have been delivered, with transportation arrangements, including land and maritime options, ensuring timely commencement of the voting process despite challenges posed by difficult terrain and physical infrastructure in some areas.

For these off-cycle elections, INEC is deploying two National Commissioners, nine Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), Administrative Secretaries (ASs), and additional staff from various States to each of the three States, distributed across the senatorial zones.

The statement emphasized the multi-stakeholder responsibility in conducting elections, citing lessons learned from recent electoral processes. While assuring a commitment to free, fair, and credible elections, INEC called for collective efforts, emphasizing that security agencies have assured a secure environment for all participants, including voters, electoral officials, accredited observers, media, and polling/collation agents.

The peace accord, signed by political parties and candidates under the National Peace Committee (NPC), was highlighted as a crucial element for maintaining a peaceful electoral atmosphere.