By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said yesterday that it has listed 473 candidates sponsored by 14 political parties for the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils’ elections.
A breakdown given yesterday by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu indicated that 110 candidates (Chairmen and Vice Chairmen) are vying for the leadership of the six Area Councils while 363 candidates are competing for 62 councillorship positions.
Prof Yakubu made the disclosure while speaking at a stakeholders meeting on the 2022 FCT Area Councils’ elections organised by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA.
Detailed analysis of the candidates by Area Councils, political parties, gender, age and educational qualifications, the INEC Chairman revealed, has already been uploaded to our website for public information.
He explained that major activities for the elections have been concluded.
His words, “Right now, the Commission is only putting the finishing touches to our preparations.
“Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was conducted over a period of six months.
“Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) have been printed and made available for collection.
“There are enough ad hoc staff engaged and trained for the election.
“Non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the various Area Councils. “Non-pharmaceutical materials have been procured to protect voters and personnel from COVID-19 in line with the Commission’s policy based on the protocols prescribed by health authorities.
“Voter education and publicity are ongoing.
“Transport arrangements have been made, including motorcycles for remote locations and boats for riverine areas. “We have had several meetings with the security agencies in the area councils, the FCT and the national level on how to address potential threats to the election and secure the process.
“They have also been trained on the code of conduct for security personnel on election duty to ensure their neutrality and professionalism”, he said.
The Commission, the Chairman said, is happy with the behaviour of parties and candidates in the FCT adding that so far, there are no adverse reports of clashes between supporters of different parties and that not many incidents of hate or inciting speeches as they canvass for votes.
“I commend the stakeholders for their advocacy for peaceful elections. I appeal to political parties and candidates to continue to show maturity and decorum as campaigns come to a close and Election Day draws nearer”, he said.
He reiterated the importance of peace to the successful conduct of the Area Council elections.
The Chairman added, “For our part, we will protect the integrity of the process. Our eyes are on all our officials, be they ad hoc or regular staff, to ensure that they strictly abide by the rules.
“All parties, candidates and their supporters should do the same. No one will benefit from the disruption of the process or other acts of bad bahaviour. “Let the voters in the FCT choose their leaders in a free, fair and peaceful contest”, he said.
