By Udesinanna Stephen
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that 16 political parties are sponsoring candidates for the election in Bayelsa State and 18 in both Imo and Kogi States. The elections will be held in 10,470 polling units, excluding the 40 polling units without registered voters.
This was made known recently in media statement containing the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States record.
The statement reads, “In continuation of the Commission’s preparations for the three off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, the Commission is making available two publications on the forthcoming polls as follows.
“The publication also includes the list of candidates and detailed information on the two polling units in Bayelsa and 38 in Imo State without registered voters. The Commission has repeatedly said that elections will not hold in these polling units. No materials have been produced for these locations, and no officials will be deployed to them.
“Sixteen political parties are sponsoring candidates for the election in Bayelsa State and 18 in both Imo and Kogi States. The elections will be held in 10,470 polling units (excluding the 40 polling units without registered voters).
“Each political party is expected to nominate polling agents for all the polling units as well as 649 Ward, 56 LGA and three State collation centres.
“However, at the close of the deadline for uploading the list of agents to the INEC dedicated portal by political parties, 34,704 agents were uploaded for Bayelsa State, 65,274 for Imo State and 37,995 for Kogi State, making a total of 137,973 polling and collation agents for the three States.
“However, the detailed breakdown shows that not all the parties nominated agents for the polling and collation centres across the States. Indeed, some political parties have no polling unit or collation agents in some States despite having candidates in the election.
“The information booklet, as well as the comprehensive summary of the agents and their distribution by polling units as well the Ward, LGA and State collation centres, have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.” The statement reads.