By Ayomide Otitoju
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Niger State, Ahmed Garki, has reaffirmed the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) readiness for the upcoming bye-election in Munya Local Government Area.
Speaking at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branch in Minna on Wednesday, where sensitive materials were presented to stakeholders, Garki said the commission had carried the media along to ensure transparency.
“This is the second-to-the-last phase of the process. The sensitive materials here have been verified at the CBN and are heading straight to Munya,” he stated.
He disclosed that INEC had, over the past two weeks, trained Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) I, II, and III, adding that the final training for some categories of staff concluded on Tuesday.
“For this election, we will deploy over 500 ad-hoc personnel, in addition to our permanent staff. The BVAS machines are fully charged, configured, and ready,” Garki said.
Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairman in Niger State, Bello Maikujeri, expressed satisfaction with the preparations, urging parties to abide by the law to ensure a peaceful poll.
Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ellema, assured that adequate security measures were in place, with personnel deployed from both conventional and sister security agencies. He added that some areas had been merged for administrative purposes, stressing that all wards would be covered.
