The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has warned of plans by some individuals and groups to disrupt the re-run and bye-elections scheduled for February 3 in parts of the country.
Yakubu made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the first quarterly meeting of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), where he urged the security agencies to ensure a peaceful and conducive environment for the conduct of the elections.
He said the commission had received reports of insecurity and incendiary statements by some political actors in some of the states where the elections would take place, adding that such acts could undermine the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.
“From experience, the conduct of isolated elections such as bye-elections and re-run elections can be very challenging. We must pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviour by some candidates and their supporters,” he said.
He explained that the elections were necessitated by the death or resignation of some members of the National and State legislative houses, as well as the orders of the Election Petition Appeal Tribunals.
He said the elections would affect 39 national and state constituencies, which represent 2.6% of the 1,491 constituencies for which elections were conducted nationwide in the 2023 General Election.
He said the nine bye-elections were fresh elections covering the entire constituencies, while the re-run elections would hold in a few or one polling unit in some constituencies.
He appealed to the security agencies to secure the environment for the deployment of personnel and materials, the protection of observers, the media and the polling and collation agents of the political parties and candidates.
He also reminded them that there was no election season in Nigeria any longer, as elections are held throughout the year between one general election and another.
He said the commission had also released the timetable and schedule of activities for the two off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, which would hold later in the year.
“Accordingly, party primaries for Edo State will commence next week and end three weeks later (1st- 24th February 2024). For Ondo State, primaries will be held between 6th and 27th April 2024.
“Our collective experience as election managers and security agencies shows that party primaries can sometimes be more acrimonious than general elections. Therefore, as we prepare for the bye-elections and re-run elections, we should equally be prepared for the two major elections later in this year in Edo and Ondo States,” Yakubu said.
He urged the security agencies to collaborate with the commission to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the country.
