The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be having a meeting today (Tuesday) to take major decisions about the pending elections.
The elections include the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states scheduled for September 19 and October 10 2020 as well as the forthcoming bye elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Plateau states.
The meeting would be sequel to the directive for the reopening of its offices in both states to galvanise preparations for the elections.
INEC National Commissioner and chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja.
Although, he did not give details of the agenda of the meeting, Okoye said a major decision would be taken on the governorship and other pending bye-elections.
“INEC is meeting tomorrow (today, Tuesday) to take a major decision on the next step for the governorship elections in both Edo and Ondo States and other by-elections. We are meeting and we are going to take major decisions”, he said.
The commission had, while announcing the reopening of its offices in Edo and Ondo states, also placed a temporary ban on congregational prayers in its Mosque and Chapel while the use of canteen and other places of gathering (including cooperative society meetings) were also prohibited for the time being.
According to INEC, driving into its premises should be limited to staff and other government officials/VIP visitors who may have been invited.
Also, staff that travelled out of the FCT were told to remain “until inter-state travel ban is lifted.”
The decisions were contained in its guidelines for resumption of duty after the COVID – 19 lockdown and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
Under the guidelines, the commission said “only staff that own cars are allowed to resume work.”
While advising staff to strictly respect the curfew hours of 8pm – 6am, INEC informed that work hours shall be from 8am and 2pm.
The guidelines cover areas such as hygiene and personal health, sanitation within office premises, distancing measures, and related matters for the headquarters and state offices of INEC.
The commission said the guidelines was in line with the Presidential directive of April 26 2020 to gradually ease the lockdown measures imposed on the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States since March 30 2020. – Punch.
