Nigeria’s Plateau By-Election: Police, INEC ready for D-Day

Nigeria’s Plateau By-Election: Police, INEC ready for D-Day

NIGERIA

Nigeria’s Plateau Police Command, in north-central part of the country, has deployed five policemen per each polling unit for the Saturday’s Pengana constituency of Bassa local government area by-election.

Also, the Nigeria National Electoral body, has said that the commission is ready to conduct the constituency election slated for August 3, 2019.

The duo made the disclosure on Thursday at the capital city of Jos Branch Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), during the distribution of sensitive materials for the elections.

Speaking to newsmen, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of Operations, DCP Aliyu Tafida said the Police is ready to ensure a hitch free exercise.

He said, “Police and other security agencies in Plateau are ready for this election, we have already done our deployment; five policemen per each polling unit and we are going to protect Registration Areas and Collation centers”.

DCP Tafida also said the command has already set up a mobile team that would escort sensitive materials to where it would be distributed.

However, Alhaji Hussaini Halilu Pai, the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in the state reassured of the commission’s readiness to ensure that the polls would be hitch free.

Alhai Pai said his commission was ready because of the rocky foundation it has laid in respect to preparations of the by-election.

He said, “We are very ready, what you have just witness is the distribution of sensitive materials – ballot papers and results sheets, and before now we have already recruited and trained ad-hoc staff that would participate in this election.”

The REC also added that the commission has already distributed non sensitive material and had deployed other officers that would render support service.

“Vehicles for transportation are already on stand-by and all I can say now is INEC is ready to conduct free, fair and credible Pengana constituency by-election on Saturday.” He concluded.

Our correspondent reports that all stakeholders including security agencies, representatives of the four political parties – APC, NCP, Green Party and PDP, participating in the election and the media witnessed the distribution of the sensitive materials.

Sky News Africa also reports that Pengana (Bassa 1) constituency has seven Registration Areas comprising of 60 polling units and 127 voting points.

About 300 policemen would be posted to 60 polling units of the constituency during this Saturday’s by-election, DCP Aliyu Tafida told Sky News Africa.

It would be recalled that the election scheduled for August 3, followed the demise of a former lawmaker, Ezekiel Afon (APC), who died in March, hours after he won re-election to the State House of Assembly for a second term.

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