INEC commences distribution of sensitive materials to Lagos LGAs

Ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Thursday distributed sensitive materials directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

Femi Akinbiyi, spokesman of the INEC Lagos State office, said that the materials, which include ballot papers and result sheets, were being distributed from the CBN, where they had been kept, to the 20 local government areas.

“We have commenced movement of the sensitive materials to all the various local government areas in the state directly from the CBN under heavy security cover.

“Present at the CBN to monitor the distribution are the representatives of political parties. The distribution starts today and will end today because all the materials are already batched for quick movement.

“INEC offices in each local government have been directed to come with vehicles and security to CBN to carry the materials, for onward distribution to Registration Area Centres (RAC) on Friday,” Akinbiyi said.

He said that the exercise was being monitored by members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

According to him, the exercise is faster because each local government has made separate arrangements for the movement.

Akinbiyi said: “INEC Lagos State is fully prepared for the elections, we want eligible voters to go out and vote on Saturday.

On card readers’ re-configuration, the INEC PRO said that the exercise had been concluded to reflect the new day of the elections.

He said that the card readers had been moved to their respective local government areas for charging in preparation for Saturday’s poll.

On reports in some sections of the media that some materials meant for the state were found in Kwara, Akinbiyi said that the mix up had been addressed.

He said that such sensitive materials had been returned to the CBN of the concerned state for onward transmission to the CBN of the affected state.

Akinbiyi said that those for Lagos had been brought back to the CBN office in the Lagos State and counted among the materials.