The security situation in Nigeria’s north-eastern State of Adamawa will determine if the scheduled October 11 Adamawa governorship bye-elections will hold, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa State, Mr Kassim Gaidem, told a meeting of stakeholders on Wednesday that the security situation in five local governments in the state would determine the conduct of the election. [eap_ad_1] Mr Gaidem, said the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Card had already been suspended in the area due to insecurity. He emphasised that the same may apply to the polls on the advice of security agencies and other stakeholders.
“If the elections hold, voters in those areas will be allowed to vote with their temporary voters card,” he said.
Stakeholders meeting, aptly tagged the situation room, has become a usual gathering in Nigeria following isolated governorship elections in some states and the build up to the 2015 general election.
The security situation in the state is of utmost concern for the electoral body and it has affected preliminary preparations for the elections.
The distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards in five local governments to over 385,000 out of the 1.5 million registered voters in the state has been affected by the security situation.
Ahead of the election, however, Internally Displaced Persons have also been catered for, to ensure that they exercise their franchise.
There has been a increase in insurgency in Magali, Maina, Michika, Mubi-north and Mubi-south local governments, towns bothering Borno State, the hot spot of insurgency in Nigeria.
The INEC, however, assured electorates in the state that it was prepared to conduct a credible election as seen in some recent governorship elections. (ChannelsTv)
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