The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that it will deploy 46,084 ad hoc staff for the upcoming governorship election scheduled for November 11 in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states. The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made this disclosure during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja. Additionally, the commission will welcome 11,000 observers from accredited national and international organizations for the off-cycle election.
Moreover, Yakubu mentioned that 18 political parties are participating in the governorship election, and they will deploy 137,934 agents, consisting of 130,093 polling agents and 7,841 collation agents.
The deadline for media accreditation applications is set for October 24, and the commission has already received requests from 80 media organizations seeking to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists and technical/support staff, to report on the elections.
Furthermore, as of October 9, 2023, it was reported that approximately 29,000 permanent voter cards (PVCs) had been collected by registered voters in Kogi and Bayelsa states since PVC collection began on September 11, 2023. The number of collected PVC cards in Imo state was still being compiled at the time of reporting.