We’ll deploy 24,000 ad-hoc staff for Kogi, Bayelsa polls – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will deploy 24,000 ad-hoc staff for the November 16 Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, stated this in an interview at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Yakubu also said the staff would go through training ahead of the off-cycle election, adding that for security training, the commission had written the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

INEC had earlier announced plans for the upcoming Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections.

The elections will hold simultaneously in the two states on November 16.

The parties’ governorship primaries in both states are expected to have ended by September 5.

 “In Bayelsa, we are going to record 9,000 ad-hoc staff and for Kogi, we are going to have about 15,000. We have to train them so we need to start early,” Yakubu said.

“And for security training, we have written the Inspector General of Police for the commencement of security training,” he added.

The INEC chair also said there are over 170,000 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards in Kogi alone with about 50,000 in Bayelsa state.

“Our intention is to make sure that we target the registered voters who have not collected there cards,” Yakubu said.

He also said the commission would ensure it reaches a large number of people “who are yet to collect their voter cards by sending bulk SMS and making phone calls through there known phone numbers”.

The INEC boss also said the commission would also compile a comprehensive list of all the uncollected cards, explaining that INEC would provide details of the number of registered voters and the number of PVCs collected to political parties 30 days before the election as required by law.

“We have about 50,000 uncollected PVCs in Bayelsa state and over 170,000 in Kogi elections. INEC would endeavour it reaches them. Quite a number of them have phone numbers and we would send bulk SMS or call them.

“We would also make a comprehensive list of all the uncollected (cards) similar to the voters register at ward LGAs so they can go and check. We are also going to make some telephone numbers available at state level so that people who see their names can call our offices to inquire where they should collect their cards. We hope this will go on up till the end of September,” he added.

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