Polling Units Where Violence is Witnessed Will Be Nullified: Yakubu

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has stated that any polling unit where violence is witnessed during this Saturday's  Bayelsa Governorship Election will be nullified.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, speaking on  Tuesday in Yenagoa while addressing election stakeholders during a meeting in preparation to the governorship election schedule for Saturday, November 11, said INEC will not return to any polling unit where there is violence for election.

Represented by INEC National Commissioner supervising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers State, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, Yakubu, all the BIVAS that will be used for the election are customized for INEC.

He said that INEC details are in the BIVAS, while the list and serial number of all the BIVAS are with INEC.

He said: “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.

Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa State, Tolani Alausa, said the police is fully prepared to ensure peaceful election in Bayelsa State on Saturday.

Represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Mr Ijamah Daniel, the police boss said that the force will deployed there to six personnel in each polling unit.

He said: “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 state.

“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.