SUPPLEMENTARY POLL: INEC ASSURES CREDIBLE ELECTION AS BINANI, FINITRI, OTHERS KNOW THEIR FATE TODAY
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The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, Governor Umaru Fintiri and his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani are among contestants in the 2023 general election whose fate will be determined today by the electorate in the supplementary polls ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Also in the fold are the governorship candidates of the APC and PDP in Kebbi State, Gen. Aminu Bande (rtd) and Dr. Nasir Idris, respectively.
Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who is contesting for the Sokoto South Senatorial election seat, and Senator Aliyu Wamakko, who is seeking to be re-elected as the senator representing Sokoto North Senatorial District, would also get the verdict of the electorate today.
The supplementary elections would hold in 2,660 polling units and 185 local councils across 24 states of the federation.
Two governorship seats and 94 legislative seats are up for grabs in the elections and INEC has assured that all arrangements had been concluded to ensure free and fair re-run in the affected areas.
INEC’s National Commissioner, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, stated this yesterday on the sidelines of the distribution of sensitive election materials in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State.
He said the Commission was fully ready to conduct successful supplementary elections in Kebbi, adding that the Commission had distributed sensitive election materials comprising ballot papers, result sheets and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He informed that the Commission had held stakeholders’ engagement with political parties, civil society groups, organisations and security agencies to facilitate hitch-free exercise.
“Head of security agencies have promised that they had the courage, capacity and the resources to deploy adequately and effectively to all the places where supplementary elections would take place.
“On our own part, the Chairman of the Commission had deployed three national commissioners to Kebbi State because of the number of elections we have here.
“So, we are going to have most of our staff acting as Supervisory Presiding Officers, LG Tech and acting in various capacities just to make sure that these elections are conducted successfully.
“We are going to have a conclusion to this election, so, by Sunday, Kebbians will be able to know who their governor is just like any other state of the federation,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Cyril Omoregbe, said the Commission was ready to conduct the supplementary elections in 71 polling units across Abak and Ikono/Ini Federal Constituencies.
The REC revealed that elections would be conducted in polling unites where elections did not hold, where elections were cancelled, where there was over-voting or results were written under duress and such results cancelled by collation officers, even though they might have been uploaded on IReV from such polling units.
Omorogbe, who said the Commission had put adequate security measures in place especially in flashpoint areas, stressed that the election would be transparent, maintaining that INEC would not rig election in favour of anybody.
Speaking with journalists in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, yesterday, the REC, Mr. Hudu Ari, also reassured the electorate that the commission had prepared very well for the conduct of the election.
Ari, who spoke with journalists during the distribution of sensitive materials for the conduct the Governorship and State Assembly supplementary election in 20 affected local councils in the state, said the elections would be conducted in 69 polling units with 36,935 registered voters.
“We have prepared very well for the conduct of the election to be free, fair and credible.
“Today, we are distributing sensitive materials; before then we held stakeholders and security meetings to ensure peaceful conduct before, during and after the election,” he said.
He also disclosed that the affected local councils for the conduct of State Assembly election include Girei, Gombi, Numan and Toungo.
The REC in Taraba State, Umar Gajiram, also stated that plans had been concluded to ensure free, fair and credible supplementary elections in the state.
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