The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ebonyi State, revealed on Tuesday that 436,254 registered voters in the 57 Registration Areas and 870 polling units are expected to participate in the upcoming bye-election in the 5 Local Government Areas (LGA) of Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.
Speaking at a briefing at the INEC Headquarters in Abakaliki, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ebonyi State, Mrs. Onyeka Pauline Ugochi, clarified that only those with valid permanent voter’s cards would be allowed to vote.
She said that approximately 3,662 ad-hoc staff would be needed for the February 3rd bye-election, including Returning Officers, LGA Collation Officers, Supervisory Presiding Officers, RETECHs and Local Government Supervisors, Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers (1, 2, and 3).
The commissioner explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) required for voter verification and authentication had been selected and would be configured for deployment at the appropriate time. Non-sensitive election materials were being selected and arranged according to their local governments, while sensitive materials were expected from Abuja.
Mrs. Onyeka assured of adequate security measures to ensure the safety of electoral personnel and materials during the entire process. Six political parties, namely Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party, presented candidates for the bye-election.
She stated that the commission had monitored the parties’ primaries, sent reports to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, and was awaiting the publication of names of the candidates for each political party. Mrs. Onyeka expressed gratitude to the media and civil society organisations for their effective coverage and unbiased reporting of INEC activities in the state.
