INSECURITY HINDERS INEC FROM DISTRIBUTING ELECTION MATERIALS IN IMO.

In spite of reports of insecurity in some parts of the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission in Imo State has started distributing election materials to different local government areas for the Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections.

In order to make sure the materials were complete and undamaged before distribution, INEC had earlier carried out an inspection of the materials at the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria in the presence of the chiefs of the state’s security services, political party agents, and observers.

Sensitive and non-sensitive materials, biometric voter accreditation, election result papers, and ballot materials are among the election materials delivered.

The Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sylvia Agu, told reporters on Thursday that the activity was intended to demonstrate INEC’s election readiness after which they would distribute the supplies to the state’s various council areas.

She bemoaned the National Youth Services Corps members’ last-minute refusal to work in the Orlu, Orsu, and Okigwe LGAs due to security concerns.

The REC raised concerns about the current state of insecurity while regretting that the corps members had previously received training and were prepared for the position.

In order to recruit students from tertiary institutions to be trained as presiding officers and supervising officers and then deployed to Orlu, Orsu, and Okigwe LGAs, respectively, for the election on Saturday, Prof. Agu claimed that the commission was now left with no choice but to depart from INEC’s arrangement for corps members.

Martin Ejiogu, an agent for the Peoples Democratic Party, stated in separate responses that although they had seen the drawings on the voting materials, they had not yet read the text.

Reiterating the requirement for proper protection in every voting place, he added that polls will be postponed for another day in certain cases.

Moreover, Barr. Cyprian Akaolisa of the All Progressive Congress expressed satisfaction with the level of transparency shown.

I thank INEC for the approach and manner in which they showed the electoral materials on behalf of the APC, he remarked.

Akaolisa acknowledged that there would be pockets of insecurity during the election, but he insisted that security authorities were determined to deal with them.