The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concerns over the increasing insecurity and violence, including clashes among supporters of political parties and candidates, ahead of the November 11 governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states in Nigeria. In a statement, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, appealed to political parties and candidates to avoid actions and utterances that could exacerbate the already precarious security situation.
INEC also highlighted the issue of political parties not substantially complying with the submission of the list of their agents, despite multiple reminders. The commission had opened an online portal for political parties to upload the list of polling units and collation center agents, but as of the latest report, many parties had not fulfilled this requirement.
The statement further revealed that for Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states, only a fraction of the expected polling unit and collation center agents had been uploaded to the designated INEC portal, with the deadline for submissions approaching.
INEC emphasized that the portal would automatically shut down at 12:00 midnight on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, with no extensions, urging political parties to complete the process before the deadline.