INEC News: INEC Deploy 46,084 Staff for Kogi, Bayelsa, Imo Polls

The INEC, which stands for the Independent National Electoral Commission, is getting ready for some special elections that will happen in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states. These elections will not be held at the usual time but on November 11.

The head of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, recently shared that a big group of 46,084 people, both regular workers and temporary workers, will be working hard during these elections.

Important News: CCT News Cash Transfer Begins: FG Disqualifies These Nigerians

INEC News: Agency will deploy 46,084 personnel for Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo elections

Staff Deployment

• Staff Count: INEC plans to deploy a substantial workforce of 46,084 individuals for the electoral duties in the aforementioned states.
• Party Agents: Among these staff members, 137,934 agents will be deployed by the 18 political parties participating in the elections. This includes 130,093 polling officers and 7,841 collation officers.
• Observers: Furthermore, a significant number of 11,000 observers from both national and international organizations have been accredited to monitor the polls.

Voter Registration

• The number of registered voters for these elections stands at an impressive 5,409,438.

Electoral Landscape

• The elections are set to take place in 10,510 polling units, spanning across 649 electoral wards and 56 local government areas.

Preparations and Lessons

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu emphasized that substantial progress has already been made in the preparations for these elections. He noted that all non-sensitive materials have been delivered to the three states, and various preparatory activities, including training, are proceeding smoothly.

Importantly, lessons learned from the 2023 General Election are being used to enhance the performance in the forthcoming elections.

Testing the BVAS

INEC recently conducted a mock accreditation exercise involving actual voters in designated polling units in the three states. The purpose of this exercise was twofold:

1. To assess the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), especially regarding biometric authentication of voters.
2. To successfully upload the results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The results of these tests were promising, and INEC is confident that the BVAS will perform even better during voter accreditation and result uploading in the upcoming elections.

Media Coverage

• INEC has received applications from 80 media organizations to deploy 1,203 personnel, comprising journalists and technical/support staff, to report on the elections.
• The commission is also finalizing arrangements for the transportation of personnel and materials, including vehicles and boats for both land and maritime movements.

Security Concerns

While INEC is diligently preparing for these elections, it is acutely aware of the prevailing insecurity and election-related violence in the three states. To address these concerns:

• INEC has received assurances of adequate deployment by security agencies.
• The commission is actively engaging with security agencies, with more meetings planned in the near future.
• Additionally, INEC will hold a series of meetings with stakeholders at both the national and state levels to ensure the smooth and secure conduct of the elections.

In summary, INEC is making extensive preparations to ensure the successful and secure conduct of the off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, with a substantial workforce, improved technologies, and a commitment to addressing security challenges.