Seven days before the bye-elections in two constituencies of the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that three political parties would not participate in the exercise.
The bye-elections are scheduled to take place on 21 February in Khana State Constituency II and Ahoada East State Constituency II. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Gabriel Yomere, confirmed during a media briefing that the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) would not feature in the contests.
Yomere disclosed that five candidates were contesting the Khana Constituency II seat, while seven candidates were vying for Ahoada East Constituency II. He listed the participating parties as AA, APC, APM, BP, NNPP, YPP and ZLP. Explaining the exclusions, he stated that the PDP failed to conduct a primary election and, therefore, did not produce a candidate.
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He added that the ADC was disqualified for failing to upload its candidate’s details to INEC’s nomination portal before the deadline. The LP, he noted, remained ineligible due to ongoing litigation surrounding its candidacy process. On preparations, Yomere said all Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines had been configured and were ready for deployment, while the training and screening of election personnel were ongoing.
To enhance credibility, he explained that all Supervisory Presiding Officers for the exercise were drawn from INEC’s core staff, given that the elections would take place in only two local government areas. He disclosed that other ad hoc personnel, including Assistant Presiding Officers, were being sourced from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He further disclosed that non-sensitive materials had already been distributed to the affected local government areas, while sensitive materials would be delivered to Registration Area Centres on the morning of the election under security escort. According to Yomere, potential flashpoints had been identified.
He also said security agencies had been briefed to ensure adequate deployment to prevent violence and maintain order. Yomere assured voters and stakeholders that INEC is committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections in the constituencies.
