By SAM JONES, Yenagoa
YENAGOA (Sundiata Post) – Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission will cancel results of polling units which record violence in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
Yakubu, who was represented by the National Commissioner supervising Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa states, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, stated this Tuesday in Yenagoa during a stakeholders engagement preparatory to the governorship election.
He said BIVAS machines that will be used for the election are customised for INEC and contain the details of the commission including the names of all the political parties just as the list and serial number of all the BIVAS are with INEC.
His words: “I want to let you know that our BIVAS have been customised for INEC, so INEC details and the name of the parties are on the BIVAS, so any BIVAS you see without INEC details cannot be from INEC.
“Another thing, we have all the lists of the serial numbers of the BIVAS we are going to use, the result sheets will be signed at the polling units.
“Where there is violence, it will be zero, we will not return to that polling unit to conduct election.
“We have recruited and carefully trained all categories of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field. All non sensitive materials have been distributed to all the eight local government area offices of the state, voter education and sensitization is ongoing.
“We have made arrangement for the transportation of personnel and materials to ensure that polling units open on schedule on election day.
“For more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying two national commissioners, eight resident electoral commissioners to support our office in Bayelsa. I wish to assure you of our commitment to free, fair and credible election come Saturday.”
The Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa State, Mr. Tolani Alausa, stated the preparedness of the police to ensure peaceful election in the state.
At an earlier INEC forum, the police had disclosed that over 30,000 officers including those from sister agencies will be deployed for the election.
The Police Commissioner, who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Mr. Ijamah Daniel, explained that the force will deploy between three and six personnel to each polling unit.
“In every polling unit, we are going to deploy three to six personnel. Outside that, the IGP has deployed as much as 21 units of mobile police force, under tactical units like the special force, the counter terrorism unit, special protection unit, they are all coming to Bayelsa state.
“I will advise every one of us to be law abiding, because we are prepared to withstand any type of challenge that will arise, we are equal to the task.”
