By Mercy Peter
The Independent National Electoral Commission has asked the Nigerian Air Force for support ahead of the forthcoming bye and re-run elections.
INEC wants NAF to help deliver election materials to the north east, south east, and south west geo political zone of the country.
The election will be taken place this weekend, 3 February 2024 in 26 states of the Federation.
two Senators, four members of the House of Representatives and three members of State Houses of Assembly will be elected in bye-elections to replace members who passed on or resigned their memberships of the national and State Assemblies. In other States, re-run elections will take place at designated constituencies or Polling Units as ordered by the Election Appeal Tribunals. In all the elections will fill vacancies in three Senatorial Districts, 17 Federal and 28 State Constituencies spread across 80 Local Government Areas, 575 Registration Areas/Wards and 8,934 Polling Units involving 4,904,627 registered voters out of which 4,613,291 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) have been collected.
Speaking during a visit to the
Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal H.B. Abubakar, INEC boss said, “In handling such a huge national assignment, the Commission cannot do it alone. That is why we seek to mobilise every national asset, including NAF. It is in realisation of this objective that the law empowers the Commission to seek the support of the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the delivery of materials and the protection of election officials as clearly provided for in Section 27(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“The elections are holding this weekend. Working with the Central Bank of Nigeria, materials are being delivered to many locations. However, given the size and distance of some constituencies, we seek for the support of NAF to expeditiously deliver materials to three locations in the North East, South East and the South West geo-political zones of the country. We have already indicated to the Chief of the Air Staff the specific locations and the tonnage of materials to be airlifted.
“The evacuation of the materials from the focal airports to the States where election will hold will be handled by the Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria as has been the standard practice. Thereafter, the inspection and movement of all materials to the various Local Government Areas and beyond will be done with the full participation of all stakeholders, particularly agents of political parties and candidates, observers and the media in a transparent manner.”
