The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has affirmed its commitment to transparency in the upcoming off-cycle governorship election in Kogi. On Friday, the commission announced its plan to upload polling unit results on the INEC Result Viewing portal.
Dr. Hale Longpet, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi state, emphasized the importance of professionalism and patriotism among both regular and ad-hoc officials during a press briefing in Lokoja. He reiterated INEC’s impartial role, emphasizing that the commission is not aligned with any political party and has no candidate in the election. INEC’s primary responsibility is to ensure a fair and level playing field for all political parties and candidates.
Dr. Longpet assured that all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the elections have been delivered, and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System is configured for deployment to polling units. This system will be the exclusive means of voter verification and fingerprint/facial biometric authentication.
Highlighting logistical preparations, Dr. Longpet mentioned that all election duty officials have undergone training, and arrangements for land and maritime transportation have been made to ensure timely commencement of voting. Despite challenges posed by difficult terrains and physical infrastructure in some locations, INEC is determined to have officials ready for voters, rather than the other way around.
The governorship election in Kogi is set to take place across 3,508 polling units in the 21 Local Government Areas. With two million registered voters expected to participate, the commission is focused on facilitating a smooth and efficient electoral process.
