INEC Worries About Recent Court Judgments in Lead-up to Nov 11 Guber Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over a series of recent court judgments and orders regarding the nomination, substitution, or disqualification of candidates after sensitive election materials have been printed.

 This comes as the November 11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States draw near. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed that reprinting materials in compliance with court orders is not only costly but also presents significant management challenges.

 He noted that the commission has already published the final list of candidates for the three states, but recent court orders have compelled them to review the list. However, this decision is subject to pending appeals by the affected candidates or their parties. With just over two weeks to the election, INEC is in the concluding stages of preparations for the first time it will be conducting three off-cycle governorship elections simultaneously across different geopolitical zones. 

The commission has delivered all non-sensitive materials, and training for various categories of ad hoc staff is ongoing. INEC state offices have assessed their readiness, and critical facilities have been moved to 56 local government offices in the three states. The commission plans to publish the detailed distribution of agents uploaded by political parties in the coming days, and agents’ identity cards will be ready for distribution, ensuring maximum security.