BY AYO ESAN
THE Independent National Electoral Commission will conduct the Aba North/South Federal Constituency by-election on March 27.
According to INEC, 498,390 voters are expected to participate in the exercise that is holding a few days after violence marred a House of Assembly by-election in Ekiti State, leading to the suspension of the exercise.
Declaring its readiness for the Aba election, the Commission said it had firmed up its preparations for the election.
INEC said a total of 498,390 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots at 609 polling units, spread across 24 Registration Areas in the two Local Government Areas of the constituency.
The Commission will deploy over 2,970 officials for the election, according to a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.
INEC said, “All the non-sensitive materials required for the conduct of the election at the two Local Government Areas of the Constituency have been delivered and batched according to the Registration Areas.
“All the ad-hoc staff required for the conduct of the election have been trained awaiting deployment.
“All the sensitive materials have been delivered to the Central Bank in Umuahia, Abia State and will be inspected on Thursday, March 25, 2021, and dispatched to the two Local Government Area offices of the commission.”
The Commission urged all registered voters in the Constituency to come out en masse to exercise their franchise, saying representation was at the heart of democracy “and huge voter turnout enforces and reinforces the mandate given to elected representatives.”
It enjoined voters and stakeholders to remain calm, shun violence and other acts capable of creating fear, anxiety and apprehension in the electoral environment.
INEC reminded the electorate that violent and unwholesome acts undermined the sovereign rights of the people to clean elections and could deprive the constituency of quality representation.
“The Commission is committed to the safety and welfare of its election duty staff and the voters and will strengthen its collaboration with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in this regard,” it added.
