The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has on Thursday commenced the distribution of sensitive election materials for the Nasarawa North Senatorial District by-election scheduled to hold on June 20.
Mallam Mohammed Abubakar-Sadiq, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Nasarawa State, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Lafia during the distribution exercise.
Abubakar-Sadiq described the sensitive materials as critical to the conduct of the election, noting that they comprised ballot papers and result sheets.
He said the distribution was conducted in the presence of political party representatives, security agencies, and electoral officers to ensure transparency and accountability.
“The electoral officers are here, political parties are here, and the security agencies are also here to witness the distribution before the materials are moved to the various local government areas,” he said.
The REC said the Nasarawa North Senatorial District comprises Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, and Wamba Local Government Areas, with 35 registration areas and 583 polling units.
According to him, voting will commence at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Abubakar-Sadiq said the commission had recruited and trained all ad hoc personnel, who would be deployed from the Registration Area Centres (RACs) to the polling units on election day.
He assured voters that adequate arrangements had been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise.
Responding to questions on security and logistics, the REC said INEC had put in place necessary measures to safeguard personnel, election materials, and voters.
“We have taken decisive measures to ensure the safety and security of our men, materials, and registered voters, who will have a conducive environment to exercise their franchise.
“The security agencies have given us their assurances, and deployment orders have been issued. We are confident of a successful exercise,” he said.
Abubakar-Sadiq also disclosed that the commission had received additional support from two Resident Electoral Commissioners from Osun and Bauchi States, as well as officials from the INEC headquarters.
He said the support team included technical personnel responsible for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), who would provide immediate troubleshooting during the election.
Also speaking, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, INEC National Commissioner supervising Nasarawa, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), expressed satisfaction with the level of preparations for the poll.
Haruna said the peaceful distribution of sensitive materials in the presence of stakeholders demonstrated the commission’s commitment to conducting a credible election.
He said INEC had further improved its election management process through enhanced technology to strengthen transparency.
According to him, the commission has introduced an electronic version of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal to improve the integrity of result uploads.
He explained that under the new process, the electronic copy of results generated at the polling unit must correspond with the uploaded result before it can be accepted on the IReV portal.
“If there is any discrepancy, the result will not upload until the issue is resolved between the presiding officer and the polling agents,” he said.
Haruna said his supervisory role was to ensure that all preparations met the commission’s standards, adding that he was satisfied with the level of readiness for Saturday’s by-election.