The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission has introduced new innovations to deepen transparency in the result management process.
Yakubu, speaking in Benin at a meeting with INEC members of staff from across the 18 local government areas of Edo State yesterday, stated that the innovation, which began with the Nasarawa State bye-election, would also be used in the September 19 Edo State governorship poll.
He said, “We have made compulsory the wearing of face masks and the use of hand sanitisers, which we have made provision for.
“At the collation centres, we have made provision for infrared thermometers and we are working to extend this to polling units. We have made a request to the Presidential Task Force to avail us with about 3,000 infrared thermometers for polling units and voting points.
“But on our own, we have made provision for 192 ward collation centres and when the PTF is able to avail us, we will extend it to the collation centres in the 18 local government areas and state collation centres.”
Yakubu told the INEC workers to manage the polling units unlike in the past, as the cubicles would be demarcated to give a two-metre distance between voters since accreditation and voting would take place simultaneously.
He added, “In addition to the card reader authentication, we are going to deploy the zip with Z-file. It is a tablet with a camera; after voting has been concluded, we have sorted out the ballots and counted, the picture of the (Form) ECA8 would be taken and transmitted to a dedicated portal so that Nigeria can view the polling unit results live and direct by those close to the polling units.”
The INEC chairman noted that the conduct of the Nasarawa State bye-election allowed Nigerians to view “clean results” at the polling units.
He said, “It was a great enhancement of the previous elections and this is the major election after the Nasarawa State bye-election. So Edo will set the pace for the conduct of major elections and we look forward to a successful election day.
“I want to stress the importance of opening the polling units early. I want Nigerians to find officials and materials waiting for them and not the other way round, hence we have to address the issue of logistics.”
Yakubu added that the commencement time had been adjusted from 8.30am to 8am and the closing time from 2pm to 2.30 pm.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Johnson Alalibo, in his remarks, described the meeting as crucial and timely, noting that it would give the top officials in Edo the opportunity to brief the INEC chairman on the state of preparedness and challenges.
Meanwhile, INEC, on Friday, said it had cleared 13 political parties to participate in the October 31 senatorial bye-election in Plateau South.
The state REC, Halilu Pai, while addressing stakeholders at the commission’s headquarters in Jos on Friday, said, “So far, we have received a list of 13 cleared political parties, which have shown interest to participate in the election.”
Pai said the participating parties include the Accord Party, Action Alliance, All Progressives Congress, All Progressive Grand Alliance, and Alternative Party of Nigeria.
Others, according to him, include Action Peoples Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
Pai added that the senatorial district had 671,209 registered voters and 68 registration areas, as well as 712 polling units.
He said the election in the six LGAs that make up the senatorial district would be done under strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.