INEC Assures Bayelsans of Credible Guber Election . . . To Commence PVC Distribution Sept. 11
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by Oyagiri Chime-emeleThe Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Bayelsa State, has assured the people of the state that it will conduct a credible, free and fair election come November 11th.
Eboh Effanga, Esq, while giving the assurance during a media briefing on Thursday, September 7th, at its office in Yenagoa, said he had held meeting with the 16 political parties that will participate in the gubernatorial poll.
He pointed out that the commission would not interfere in any way nor aid or assist any one to win election.
Effanga, who is newly posted to the state as the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC stressed that the only way any political party can win is to get to the voters to vote for its candidate, insisting that every vote would count.
Explaining further on the process , he said the commission will ensure that the personnel that would be deployed to the field are adequately qualified and knowledgeable about the process, hence, it has started the process of training the trainers.
He revealed that as part of efforts to conduct a violent and crisis free election, he had met with the commissioner of police and the state Director of Department of Security Services, DSS and other security agencies for synergy and collaboration.
“Our plan is to roll out the materials for elections to be conducted in every of the 8 local government areas of Bayelsa state, 105 RAs, 2244 polling units in the state. We make our efforts to make sure materials get to their location when it is supposed and also deploy personnels to those places,” Effanga assured Bayelsans.
He hinted that the non sensitive materials are already in the various local governments where the election is going to be conducted, promising that at the right time the sensitive materials would arrive the state and also moved to their locations accordingly.
Responding to a question on the use of BVAS and uploading of results on the IREV, the Bayelsa REC said; “Nothing has changed on the process of conducting election in Nigeria. We are still going to conduct election based on the constitution, Electoral Act and the guidelines by INEC.
“Election is won and lost at the polling unit. After voting at the polling unit, the vote would be counted there, it would be recorded in the physical result sheet, BVAS will be used to take a snap shot of the recorded results. It would be taken to the Ward collation centre, where the result will be authenticated and photograph uploaded to the IREV.
“Afterwards, it is moved from the ward collation centre to the LGA collation centre, and to the state collation centre where the final collation is done. Result is announced and a winner declared. So, nothing is going to change.”
The state REC urged citizens of the state who had registered and have not obtained their PVC to go for collection from Monday, September in their various local government areas INEC offices. He added that the exercise would last till October 9th.
He however pointed out that areas the Voters Card is 500, it would be sent to the Registration Areas (RAs) for collection.
He said the commission has identified 15 of such Registration Areas out of the 105 wards, which includes; Brass Local Government Area – 2 RA1 (Opuama and Sangana), Ekeremor Local Government Area, Oporomor 1, Kolga Kaiama, Olobiri, Sampou and Kalama, Nembe LGA, Ogbolomabiri, Ogbia LGA – Otakeme, Southern Ijaw LGA – Olodiama 2, Yenagoa LGA – Atissa RA1, Atissa RA3, Epie 1 RA4, Epie 2 RA5 and Epie 3 RA6.
