As part of preparations for the forthcoming bye-election to Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Irepodun/Isin Federal Constituency, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Kwara State, has fixed November, 17, 2018, for the exercise.
As a result, INEC has also announced a period of seven days for the display of Voters Register and collection of Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
The Kwara State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Attahiru Garba Madami disclosed this in Ilorin on Monday during INEC’s special meeting with security officers and chairmen of registered political parties in the state.
Madami said the commission had decided to reopen the display of Voters Register and collection of PVC at the 193 Registration Areas of the state between the 6th and 12th of November, 2018.
He explained that the display exercise would assist in the cleaning up of the register as well as addressing the removal of ineligible voters such as under aged voters, multiple registration, registrants with still picture, and deceased registered voters.
The INEC commissioner disclosed further that the election will cover four local government areas and it will be conducted in 42 registration areas and 330 polling units.
Madami urged political parties in the state to inform the electorate of the new development and implore them to comport themselves orderly before, during, and after the poll so as to record a peaceful, credible and fair election.
” I must also implore the political parties to put in their best in the most civil manner so as to sustain the harmony in the state” he said
He added that the success of this election is so important as it will be a test case for 2019 general elections.
According to him, the bye election will be opened to all registered political parties, while the register of voters as compiled by the commission covering 2015 to the first quarter of 2018 will be used for the election.
The state Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Fafowora called on political parties to report any element of illegality in their domains to the law enforcement agents, but should not give false information, promising that adequate sanction will be meted to any party that does not play the game according to the rules.
Also present at the meeting were the Heads of DSS in the state, representative of Civil Defence Corps among others.
It would be recalled that a member of the House of Representatives, that represented Ekiti/Irepodun/Oeke-Ero/ Isin Constituency, late Hon. Funke Adedoyin died on 28th of September, 2018 after a brief illness, a scenario that calls for a bye election to fill the vacant seat.
