INEC ready for Kano bye-elections – REC

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Kano State, says it has completed all arrangements for conduct of all bye-elections in the state.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Kano state, Abdu Zango, said this while addressing stakeholders at its state headquarters in Kano on Tuesday.
He said the bye elections, slated for Feb.3, would hold in three state constituencies, Kunchi/Tsanyawa, Kura/Garun Malam and Rimin Gado/Tofa in Six local government areas of the state.
“We are fully ready for the bye-elections with our trained electoral personnel ready to conduct transparent and credible elections for the conduct of elections in six local government areas.
“We are conducting elections in 66 polling units across the six local government areas.
“Any person without a permanent voter’s card will not participate in the bye- election,” he said.
He said already, the commission had deployed sensitive and non-sensitive materials to all the affected local government areas.
Mr Zango explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BIVAS, would be used during the re-run elections aimed at ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
He expressed confidence that the bye-elections would be successful.
“We have prepared and equipped our personnel with basic electoral knowledge for the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections come Feb. 3,” he said.
The REC also commended the effort of the Police for providing required security before and during the bye-elections.
Hussaini Gumel, Commissioner of Police in the state, said the command had already put security measures in place to ensure smooth implementation of all electoral processes in the affected local government areas.
Mr Gumel, represented by CSP Hamma Abdullahi, said the police would be visible in all the polling units to enable eligible residents in the six local government areas to participate in the exercise without threat to lives and property.
He warned leaders of political parties that would be participating in the election to impress on their supporters to shun all kinds of political violence, ballot snatching and thuggery during the exercise.
”Police will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any person or group of persons found disrupting the peaceful political atmosphere the state is known for,” he said.
Recall that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Sept. 30, ordered the rerun for the state assembly in the six local government areas.