The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that there are 5.4 million registered voters in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States who will be eligible to vote in the upcoming governorship elections on November 11.
The announcement came via a statement released on Tuesday by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
“The Commission held its regular meeting today, Tuesday 10th October 2023 and, among other issues, reviewed preparations for the off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States.”
“For the forthcoming elections, there are 1,056,862 registered voters in Bayelsa State; 2,419,922 in Imo State; and 1,932,654 in Kogi State, making a combined total of 5,409,438 registered voters for the three states,” Olumekun said.
He stated that all political parties participating in the elections would be provided with electronic copies of the complete voter register for each state.
The National Commissioner further specified that “In Bayelsa State, 16 political parties are sponsoring candidates; in Imo State, 17; and in Kogi State, all 18 parties are sponsoring candidates.”
“State Chairmen of political parties or their designated representatives are invited to attend the event, which will take place at the Collation Centers in the State Headquarters of the Commission in Lokoja, Owerri, and Yenagoa on Thursday 12th October 2023 at 10.00 am,” he said.
Olumekun also mentioned that as part of the commission’s continuous commitment to advancing the use of technology for voter verification and result management, preparations for a trial voter accreditation process in the three states have been finalized. This trial aims to assess the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The National Commissioner explained that this trial will take place simultaneously in the three states on Saturday, running from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. He also noted that the list of designated polling units for each state has been published on the commission’s website and social media platforms.
Furthermore, the commission encouraged registered voters to actively participate in the election by attending the polling stations with their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).