… The Commission will be bound by the judgment of the supreme in the case of the Rivers State
… We have made specific arrangements including transportation and security for the riverine areas’’
…Parties criticism shows there is something the commission is doing right
WED, FEBRUARY 20 2019-theG&BJournal-The Independent National Election Commission (INEC) said the Commission has completed 100% configuration of smartcard readers nationwide. The Chairman of the Commission Mahmood Yakubu, made the revelation today when he briefed newsmen in Abuja in advance of the 23 February elections.
He disclosed that all stakeholders in the election has also been invited to the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to verify the configuration ‘’and reports indicate that we had full compliance in this regard,’’ he said.
The Chairman of the commission confirmed that all sensitive materials relevant to election are now been moved to location and 10 states as at today have received all the sensitive materials and are already sending same to the various local government areas of the various states. He said the rest of the states will follow suit and should conclude such movement tomorrow.
He said the commission has made progress on logistics and would provide further information when the Commission briefs the media again tomorrow.
The INEC boss, fielding questions from reporters shortly after his briefing said the Commission made specific arrangements that will ensure elections are smoothly conducted in the riverine areas of the country.
‘’We have been conducting elections in these areas before and we have made specific arrangements including transportation and security. We appreciate the security challenges and we have made necessary arrangements with the security agencies,’’ he said.
He also spoke to issues around the Supreme Court pronouncements in Rivers State that excluded some party candidates from the elections and the various accusations by political parties of bias.
Responding to the accusations, Yakubu said ‘’we will be concerned if the accusation is coming from one party and this shows that there is something the Commission is doing right.’’
The INEC boss who dismissed various accusations levelled against it by political parties as ‘’ normal’’ told newsmen that the Commission will be bound by the judgment of the supreme in the case of the Rivers State.
‘’There is no other way to go,’’ he said, effectively ending speculations about the candidates participation in the Saturday elections.
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