The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says insecurity will not affect the conduct of the February 3 rerun polls and by-election for the State and Federal Constituencies in Kaduna State.
Aminu Idris, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Kaduna disclosed this in an interview journalists on Sunday in Kaduna.
Mr Idris said that the commission has been meeting with the various security agencies to coordinate and identify the areas that are likely to be flash points.
He said, “Based also from the experience of the past elections where some of the cancellations of the exercise were due to violence and over voting, the security agencies especially the police are fully aware of some of these locations and they have assured us of security that would allow people to vote peacefully, collate and announce results.
“Absolutely, the people of Kaduna state should have confidence to come out and exercise their franchise because unlike the general elections, these are isolated elections in which security would be much more than the general elections when security was dispersed across the State.
“By the way, INEC relates with all the stakeholders. The police is the principal security agency for elections and may invite the army to assist only where and when necessary.”
The REC said already, the non-sensitive materials had been deployed to all the seven affected local governments while the sensitive materials were expected to arrive at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Kaduna on Wednesday prior to the election and deployment would commence afterwards .
Mr Idris said that all the stakeholders, including the media, would be invited to witness the process, adding, “INEC is logistically ready for the exercise as necessary arrangements had been made with NURTW to provide vehicles projected to be about 3,000 to move materials and personnel”.
He said elections would take place in six constituencies covering seven local government areas including; Chikun, Igabi, Kaduna South, Kudan, Kachia, Kagarko and Kauru.
“Total polling units in the six constituencies is 1,114 with the number of registered voters that have collected PVCs of about 639,914.
“So far, we have started with recruitment and training of ad hoc staff especially those of Supervisory Presiding Officers then to those of Presiding Officers officers and Assistant Presiding Officers
“The commission projects to have about 4,000 staff including about 3,000 had hoc staff with the categories drawn from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as Presiding Officers and institutions like the Kaduna Polytechnic, NYSC and INEC staff,” Mr Idris said.
INEC has fixed Saturday to conduct 44 supplementary elections across the country.
Sam Olumekun, national commissioner and chairman Information Voter Education Committee (IVEC) of INEC said this in a statement tagged ‘Timetable and Schedule of activities for bye-elections and Court-ordered Re-run Elections’.
He said, “The commission has approved the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for conducting bye-elections resulting from the resignation or demise of Members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.
“These vacancies were declared by the Presiding Officers, that is the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speakers of State Houses of Assembly.
“The vacancies occurred across two Senatorial Districts, four Federal Constituencies, and three State Constituencies spanning nine states of the federation.”
(NAN)
