The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a voter accreditation drill for Saturday in preparation for the upcoming governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.
The gubernatorial elections in the three federal states will be held on November 11.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this at the commission’s state headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, during the presentation of the official publication/presentation of the Voter Register to the 18 political parties participating in the upcoming elections for State governor.
Yakubu, represented by the National Commissioner, Sani Adam, said the exercise would be carried out in only nine electoral units, three from each of the three senatorial districts in the state.
The President announced that a similar exercise will be held simultaneously in Bayelsa and Imo States.
He called on residents and voters of selected polling units to come out en masse to participate in the exercise, which he described as a litmus test for the actual election.
According to him, the commission is well prepared for the gubernatorial elections and called on politicians and the electorate to respect the rules of the game for a peaceful, credible and successful holding of the elections.
“We have everything necessary in terms of personnel and logistics as well as the necessary security support from security agents to conduct a peaceful and successful election in Kogi.
“As a commission, we hope that everyone will avoid any form of violence or crisis to help usher in a leader who will direct the affairs of the State after January 26, to achieve the desired growth and development,” he said.
Yakubu said the publication and submission of voter registration to the 18 political parties was imperative to obtain data from them for the upcoming elections.
kogi data
He said the total number of registered voters in Kogi for the elections is 1,932,654, of which 953,941 are men and 953,941 are women.
“A copy of the Voter Registry in PDF will be delivered to all political parties that participate in the elections.
“The commission will implement a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in all 3,508 polling units in Kogi for the elections.
“We already have trained technical support personnel who will be deployed to all Registration Areas (RAs) and local governments to provide technical support to BVAS,” he said.
In response, the state chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Chairman Ukwenge Musa commended INEC for its preparations and readiness for the November 11 gubernatorial election.
He assured the commission of the support of the participating political parties to ensure that the elections are peaceful and successful.