The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviour by some candidates and their supporters ahead of the forthcoming by-elections scheduled to hold on February 3, 2024.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting of ICCES, where he also expressed concern about prevailing insecurity in some states on the conduct of the elections.
He said from experience, the conduct of isolated elections such as by-elections and re-run elections could be very challenging.
The chairman added that a re-run election conducted in one Polling Unit or a handful of Polling Units could be severely disrupted by acts of thuggery knowing full well that these few locations would determine the outcome of the election.
Yakubu stated: “Arising from the reports we received from the States, concerns have been raised about the impact of the prevailing insecurity in some States on the conduct of the elections, made worse by incendiary statements by some political actors. We will present such concerns and reports at this meeting for appropriate security response.
“We must pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviours by some candidates and supporters.”
Yakubu recalled that in his remarks at the Commission’s extraordinary meeting with leaders of political parties last month, he reported that the elections affect 35 national and state constituencies.
His words: “Since then, four additional orders of the Court of appeal have been served on the Commission in respect of Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Madara/Chinade State Constituency of Bauchi State as well as Kudan and Kauru/Chawai State Constituencies of Kaduna State.
“This brings the total number of affected constituencies to 39 which translates to 2.6% of the 1,491 Constituencies for which elections were conducted nationwide in the 2023 General Election.
“The nine by-elections are fresh elections covering the entire constituencies.”
However, Yakubu noted that with the exception of three Constituencies (Plateau North Senatorial District and Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency in Plateau State and Kachia/Kagarko Federal Constituency in Kaduna State), the re-run elections are to be held in a few Polling Units.
He said that in some cases, only one Polling Unit was affected in an entire Federal or State Constituency.