Politics
DR Oliver Agundu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Plateau, says all is set for the Plateau North Senatorial District rerun elections.
Agundu, who briefed newsmen on Friday in Jos, said that INEC was also ready for the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency rerun.
According to him, the state had taken delivery of all non-sensitive materials for the rerun, slated for Feb. 3.
The REC revealed that the sensitive materials would likely arrive in the state at any moment, and INEC would invite all stakeholders for inspection at the Central Bank, before deployment to the local governments few days before the election.
He announced that the more than 3,000 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to be used during the election, had been fully charged, and previous data cleared and ready for reconfiguration.
“I wish to report that we have planned to deploy BVAS to specific polling units, registration areas/wards, and Local Government Areas (LGAs) during the election with the right quantity of backup ready for any eventuality.
“I told you before the general elections that the election was not going to be held in some polling units across the nation for some reasons that resulted in zero registration.
“I wish to inform you that Plateau North Senatorial District also has a share of such units in two LGAs, with one in Bassa and three in Jos North, totaling four polling units.
“Once again, all political parties, security agencies, and other stakeholders should take note and act accordingly by not deploying agents or personnel to those places on Feb. 3, 2024.
“It is also pertinent to inform you that we are currently shortlisting the names of ad-hoc staff for recruitment, training, and deployment, especially Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOS), Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs).
“The commission will ensure that only qualified persons will eventually be shortlisted to participate in the elections,’’ he said.
Agundu stated that for the purposes of inclusivity, INEC, in line with the provisions of the law, had also given special consideration to people living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, to participate in the rerun elections.
The REC urged the security personnel to at all times help to protect the vulnerable, so that they too could perform their duties as enshrined in the law, especially the Electoral Act.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, in November 2023, nullified the election of Sen. Simon Mwadkon (PDP-Plateau North) and Rep. Musa Agah (Jos North/Bassa) and ordered INEC to conduct a rerun.
The court’s basis for the nullification was that Mwadkon and Agah’s political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), did not have a valid structure in the state to field candidates for the 2023 General Elections. (NAN)
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-January 20, 2024 @ 9:42 GMT|
Tags: Dr Oliver Agundu
