As a way of ensuring free and credible election in the Saturday’s Bayelsa supplementary election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the deployment of three National Commissioners to supervise the poll.
Disclosing this on Thursday in Abuja, INEC’s Deputy Director of Publicity, Nick Dazang, stated that the commission would also deploy a technical team to each ward where the election would be conducted.
Dazang said, “The technical team would be deployed to intervene in situations where there are technical challenges as regards the use of card readers.”
He also noted that about 834 ad hoc staff, comprising four staff in each of the 431 polling units, would also be deployed to conduct the election.
He said that election would be conducted in 425 polling units and and five voting points in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.
According to Dazang, the supplementary election would also hold in 101 PUs in three other local government areas of the state where elections were cancelled.
“In addition to these the commission is going to monitor the election via its situation room situated at the INEC headquarters in Abuja,” he said.
Dazang further confirmed that the commission had on Wednesday commenced the distribution of sensitive materials from the state capital to local government areas where election would be conducted.
Commenting on security issues, the Deputy Director said that security agencies during a meeting held on December 2015 had assured the commission of adequate security during the election.
On the allegations that INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state was offered money by one of the candidates to influence the election in his favour, Dazang said it was an allegation that is yet to be proven by anyone.
“On Dec. 17, 2015, we had meeting with all the political parties and candidates contesting the election, none of the parties or candidates raise the issue.
“If the allegation was true it could have been raised at the meeting.
“The state REC is still going to conduct the supplementary election because he has not been found wanting on the basis of allegation that could not be proven by anybody,” he said.
Dazang further reiterated the commission’s resolve to conduct credible, free and fair supplementary election on Jan. 9 in the state.
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