INEC to deploy 4,000 personnel for Kaduna rerun polls – REC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will deploy no fewer than 4,000 personnel for the conduct of Saturday’s rerun polls and by-election for the State and Federal Constituencies in Kaduna State.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Kaduna State, Malam Aminu Idris, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Kaduna.

Idris said the personnel would include 3,000 drawn from members of the National Youth Service Corps and 1,000 INEC members of staff.

He said, “The commission projects to have about a total of 4,000 staff including about 3,000 had hoc staff with the categories drawn from members of the NYSC as Presiding Officers and institutions like the Kaduna Polytechnic while others would include NYSC and INEC staff.

“So far, we have started with the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff especially those of Supervisory Presiding Officers then to those of Presiding Officers officers and Assistant Presiding Officers.”

Idris added that strict supervision has been put in place with the presence of the stakeholders including personnel from EFCC, ICPC, and other relevant agencies to ensure transparency during the exercise.

“They will work against incidences of vote buying and other malpractices at the polling units and in terms of being accountable to the law as nobody is immune including INEC staff and corps members.

“Anyone that contravenes the electoral law in terms of distorting the elections would face the wrath of the law whether you are an INEC staff, NYSC, or even security agent,” he said.

Idris urged the stakeholders to collaborate to ensure that a conducive environment was provided for the smooth running of the elections and for the voters to be vigilant so that troublemakers would not be allowed to disrupt the process.

INEC has fixed Saturday for the conduct of supplementary polls in 44 constituencies across the state.