INEC Reminds Parties, Media About Requirements For Upcoming Off-cycle Elections
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Comission, INEC, has asked all parties sponsoring candidates for elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States that are yet to upload the list of their agents to do so immediately before the portal automatically shuts down at 12:00 midnight on Tuesday 10th October, 2023 which is the deadline for the exercise.
The Commission had since notified all political parties of the opening of its online portal for the upload of the list of polling units and collation centre agents, which commenced on Thursday 24th August, 2023 but despite the notice and subsequent reminders, some political parties are yet to substantially comply by submitting the list of their agents, this is according to a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun.
The statement noted that only 55% of the expected total of 189,180 polling unit agents have been uploaded to the designated INEC Portal; which it said specifically listed according to states to show that 29,278 out of the expected 40,372 (72.5%) in Bayelsa State; 51,681 out of 85,644 (60.3%) for Imo, and 23,720 out of 63,144 (37.6%) for Kogi State have been uploaded.
According to the statement, similarly, only 25.1% of the expected 15,804 Collation Agents in the three States have been uploaded: 1,246 (26.0%) out of 4,806 for Bayelsa; 1,638 (27.3%) out of 5,994 for Imo, and 1,095 (21.9%) out of 5,004 for Kogi State.
The Commission also noted that the accreditation of Journalists commenced on 24th August, 2023 and will close on 22nd October, 2023 but so far, only 45 media organisations have applied for accreditation.
Based on this, the Commission, encouraged all interested media organisations to take advantage of the remaining window to apply on imap.inecnigeria.org before the deadline on 22nd October, 2023 as late applications will not be entertained and there is no provision for manual accreditation anymore.
The Commission has also decried the spate of insecurity and violence, including clashes among supporters of political parties and candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The statement noted, that in the Commission’s engagement with political parties, it has constantly called on them to rein in their supporters from actions capable of jeopardizing the peaceful conduct of elections in Nigeria.
INEC, therefore, appealed to all political parties and candidates to avoid utterances and acts that may heat up the polity while promising to continue to closely monitor the situation and sustain its engagement with security agencies and stakeholders to ensure a peaceful conduct of elections in the three states.
