By Musa Baba Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its readiness for the June 20 Nasarawa North Senatorial District bye-election, announcing that four political parties have successfully met the requirements to participate in the contest.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Nasarawa State, Mohammed Abubakar-Sadiq, disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing in Lafia.
According to the REC, the political parties cleared for the election are the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Abubakar-Sadiq explained that the parties conducted their primary elections between May 22 and May 26 in line with the electoral timetable, adding that INEC monitored the exercises and subsequently approved the nominated candidates.
He noted that official campaigns for the bye-election commence on June 10 and will end on June 18, while the commission will continue to monitor political activities to ensure compliance with the Electoral Act and relevant guidelines.
The REC said INEC had already met with representatives of the participating parties and reminded them of their obligations to conduct issue-based campaigns and adhere to electoral regulations.
Providing an update on preparations, he disclosed that all non-sensitive election materials had been received and distributed to the three local government areas that make up the senatorial district.
The bye-election will take place across Akwanga Local Government Area, Wamba Local Government Area and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area.
According to him, electoral officers have been directed to sort and batch materials according to Registration Areas and Polling Units to facilitate efficient deployment on election day.
Abubakar-Sadiq further revealed that Registration Area Centres and Super Registration Area Centres have been identified and would be activated on June 19 to ensure the timely movement of personnel and election materials.
He stated that 338,042 registered voters captured during the 2023 general election would be eligible to participate in the poll.
However, he clarified that citizens who registered during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which began in August 2025, would not be eligible because their Permanent Voter Cards have not yet been issued.
The REC also announced that supervisory presiding officers drawn from INEC, the National Youth Service Corps and the National Orientation Agency have already undergone training, while training for presiding officers and assistant presiding officers assigned to the district’s 583 polling units is scheduled for June 12 to June 14.
He added that the commission has configured its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices and printed the electronic voters register ahead of deployment.
Expressing confidence in the commission’s level of preparedness, Abubakar-Sadiq assured residents and stakeholders that all necessary arrangements had been concluded for a credible and hitch-free election.
“We are fully prepared for the election, and all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure a smooth and credible process,” he said.
