INEC Vows Not To Count Votes In Violent Polling Units

Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it will not count votes in any polling unit where violence occurs in Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said this in the capital of Bayelsay staye6, Yenagoa, at a stakeholders meeting.

Yakubu, represented by the INEC National Commissioner supervising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, said that INEC would deploy BIVAS to all polling units for the election.

“I want to let you know that our BIVAS have been customized for INEC, so INEC details and the name of the parties are on the BIVAS, so any BIVAS you see without INEC details cannot be from INEC.

“Another thing, we have all the list of the serial number of the BIVAS we are going to use, the result sheets will be sign at the polling units.

“Where there is violence, it will be zero, we will not return to that polling unit to conduct election.

“We have recruited and carefully train all category of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field, all non sensitive materials have been distributed to all the eight local government area offices of the state, voter education and sensitization is ongoing.

“We have made arrangement for the transportation of personnel and materials to ensure that polling unit open on schedule on election day.

“For more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying two National Commissioners, eight resident electoral Commissioners to support our office in Bayelsa, I wish to assure you of our commitment to free, fair and credible election come Saturday,” he said.

Police Preparation

Speaking, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Tolani Alausa, said the police were fully prepared to ensure peaceful election on Saturday.

Alausa said that the force would deploy enough personnel for the election.

“In every polling unit, we are going to deploy three to six personnel, outside that, the IGP has deployed as much as 21 unit of mobile police force, under tactical unit like the special force, the counter terrorism unit, special protection unit are all coming to Bayelsa.

“I will advise every one of us to be law abiding, because we are prepared to withstand any type of challenge that will arise, we are equal to the task,” he said.

NAN/Confidence Okwuchi