INEC customizes ballot papers for Niger East senatorial bye-election

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna.

National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Chris Iyimogu has said that all arrangement has been concluded to use customized ballot papers for the conduct of the Saturday, August 30th Niger East senatorial seat by-election.

Iyimogu disclosed that, the wisdom behind the introduction of customized ballot papers in the by-election was for the purpose of checking rigging because each out of the nine local government councils that made up the senatorial district will have a different

colored ballot paper, hence ballot papers for LG ‘A’ cannot be used in LG ‘B’ as that can easily be detected.

The National Commissioner, who is in charge of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kwara, Kaduna and Niger states made the disclosure yesterday while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the stakeholders meeting organized by INEC in Minna, adding that non sensitive materials have since arrived the state while the sensitive materials were expected to be mobilized by tomorrow.

According to him, for the purpose of ensuring that election processes commence as scheduled, all election materials, both sensitive and non sensitive would leave Minna Central Bank tomorrow (Today) to the headquarters of the nine LGCs that constituted the senatorial district with a view to effecting early distribution of all electoral materials to polling units in good time.

His word, “The sensitive material will leave Central Bank, Minna alongside the political parties’ agents to the respective Local Government Council headquarters of the senatorial district on Thursday.

This is necessary in order to avoid late arrival of electoral materials to polling units. We want the election to start and end as scheduled.” On the petition submitted to INEC by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), demanding for the removal of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo for alleged romance with the state government, the national electoral commissioner claimed not to have any knowledge in respect of the said petition.