With less than 48 hours remaining until the off-cycle Governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured all political parties and candidates of a level playing field. In a statement released late Thursday, the electoral chief emphasized the commission’s commitment to ensuring fairness and readiness for the elections.
Notably, this marks the first time in Nigeria’s history that these gubernatorial elections will be conducted simultaneously across three geo-political zones: North Central (Kogi), South East (Imo), and South South (Bayelsa).
As Election Day approaches, the electoral chief called upon all officials, both regular and ad-hoc, to demonstrate the utmost level of patriotism and professionalism. Highlighting INEC’s impartiality, he reiterated that the commission is not affiliated with any political party and reiterated their responsibility to safeguard the electoral process, leaving the choice of the governors entirely in the hands of the voters.
INEC has ensured the delivery of all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the elections. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been configured for deployment to polling units, serving as the sole method for voter verification and fingerprint/facial biometric authentication. Polling unit results will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, ensuring transparency and accountability. All election duty officials have undergone training, and arrangements have been made for land and maritime transportation to ensure prompt voting on schedule.
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For these off-cycle elections, INEC is deploying two National Commissioners, nine Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and Administrative Secretaries (ASs), along with additional staff from various states, to support the electoral process in each of the three states. They will be strategically placed across the senatorial zones within the states.
While INEC is committed to ensuring free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections, the electoral chief stressed that the responsibility does not rest solely on the commission. Acknowledging lessons learned from past elections, he emphasized the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders. Security agencies have assured the commission of a secure environment for electoral activities, and political parties and candidates have signed the peace accord under the National Peace Committee (NPC).
As Nigeria prepares to conduct these historic off-cycle Governorship elections, all parties involved must uphold peace and play their roles responsibly. By doing so, the nation can continue to strengthen and consolidate its democratic processes.
