The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday confirmed it had achieved 95 per cent configuration of the Smart Card Readers to be deployed for the elections.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at a briefing in Abuja said that the commission has “achieved 95 per cent configuration of the 180,000 card readers and this process is going to be completed on Wednesday morning (today), one day ahead of schedule.”
Yakubu also disclosed that as at 4p.m. on Monday, all issues related to delivery of materials were identified and virtually addressed, saying ballot papers, result sheets and non-sensitive materials were now in locations across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
Asked to confirm rumours that a commissioner of the electoral body had been arrested, he said, “No (National) Commissioner of the commission was picked up by any security agency, no house of any commissioner of INEC was raided; no commissioner of INEC has been picked up by security agencies. The particular commissioner you are referring to that was mentioned in the social media (Ibeanu) is, as we speak, in his office in the commission. Similarly, no six directors were picked up by any security agency.”
The chairman added that personnel and materials would also be at the registration areas by midday on Friday, while refresher training for ad hoc workers would take place on Friday.
“Personnel and materials must arrive at polling units latest 7am on Saturday and the opening of poll will take place by 8am on Saturday,’’ Yakubu said.
He said that INEC was committed to free, fair and credible elections, adding that the commission was working hard to ensure that the elections were held as scheduled.
Asked if people in Borno State would take part in the elections, Yakubu said that the people in the Internally Displaced Camps would be allowed to participate.
