The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged political parties participating in Kogi and Bayelsa Nov. 16 governorship election to submit lists of their polling agents on or before Nov. 2.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmmod Yakubu, gave the advice on Wednesday during the commission’s stakeholders meeting in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, ahead of the state governorship election.
Yakubu said that the law required political parties to submit list of polling agents two weeks before election at INEC Local Government offices.
He said: “We have received complaints in previous election where parties said security agents turned away their agents from the polling units and collation centres.
“This is simply because you did not submit their list and we did not accredit them.’’
Yakubu, who said that the deadline remained Nov. 2, advised party agents not to come to polling units with identity cards or tags of their party but the one issued by INEC.
He reiterated the commission’s commitment to remain neutral and protect its integrity by conducting credible election in the state.
Yakubu also re-emphasised that INEC would not condole any form of attacks of its personnel deployed for the election.
“We want to remind candidates and their supporters that attacks on officials of the commission will this time attract severe sanctions.
“It has happened before where we refused candidates who attacked our staff their Certificates of Return.
“In one of such cases, the court ordered that we give the candidate his certificate and as a respecter of court order, we did. But we are determined to follow the matter to the Supreme Court to ensure that the matter is decided once and for all.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was attended by stakeholders including representatives of political parties, their candidates, traditional rulers and security agencies. (NAN)
