INEC chairman urges staff on integrity ahead of Nov 11 guber poll

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has urged the commission’s staff to uphold non-partisanship and preserve their integrity in preparation for the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi.

Yakubu made this statement during his visits to several INEC offices to evaluate the readiness for the gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo scheduled for November 11. This information is included in the commission’s bulletin in Abuja.

Yakubu affirmed INEC’s dedication to ensuring fair and credible elections in these states.

“INEC is not a political party and does not have a candidate in the Nov. 11 governorship election.”

“All we are going to do is to ensure that the people of Bayelsa and Imo States choose whoever they want to be their governors and our responsibility is to protect the people’s choice,” Yakubu said.

The INEC Chairman also urged the Electoral Officers (EOs) in both states to ensure the full activation of all Registration Area Centres (RACs) well in advance to facilitate a smooth election process.

Yakubu emphasized that the commission’s commitment includes ensuring that electoral officials fulfill their duties effectively on election day.

He further mentioned that an additional refresher training is scheduled for Friday, November 10, in addition to the training conducted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

According to the bulletin, Yakubu and his delegation also held meetings with Members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in both states.

Addressing the heads of the security agencies, Yakubu emphasized that the primary purpose of the meeting was to assess their preparedness for the upcoming Saturday election.

He further noted that the discussions during the meeting encompassed critical security matters, including measures to ensure the safety of voters, election personnel, materials, collation centers, and transportation providers.

Yakubu also conducted an inspection of some of the commission’s facilities in Yenagoa to assess the availability of non-sensitive materials for the off-cycle election.

The INEC Chairman was joined by National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from both states.