14 Candidates Qualify For Imo North Senatorial Bye-election

Fourteen days to the Imo North Senatorial district bye-election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has confirmed that it has received the list of 14 candidates fielded by 14 out of 18 political parties who met all the requirements for the poll scheduled to take place on October 31, 2020.

Also, the Commission has begun the recruitment process of over 3,000 ad hoc workers who will join over 400 members of its staff in the state, to conduct the poll, which will hold in six local councils of the district, comprising Okigwe, Onuimo, Isiala Mbano, Ehime Mbano, Obowo and Ihitteuboma, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, has disclosed.

The seat became vacant when Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) slumped in his bathroom in Abuja and died in December 2019.

Professor Ezeonu, who announced this yesterday during a stakeholders’ interactive meeting at the Okigwe Local Government Area headquarters, hinted that the commission had put in place all pre-election arrangements to ensure a seamless by-election.

The stakeholders who attended included the participating political parties, candidates, members of staff of the commission, religious groups, security personnel, the media and civil society groups.

According to Professor Ezeonu, the ad hoc workers would be recruited from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Civil Service and INEC.

According to the REC, all Coronavirus disease (COVID -19), containment and safety protocols would be observed during the election.

He affirmed that the results of the election would be posted to the INEC portal.

Professor Ezeonu hinted that non-sensitive materials had arrived, while sensitive materials would arrive Thursday preceding the exercise, warning the political parties to send only their accredited agents to them.

He listed phone lines for people to use to include 09026851324 and WhatsApp 08068653743, for distress calls to the commission.

In his reaction, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Isaac Akinmoyede, who was represented by the Area Commander, Okigwe, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ahmed Ibrahim Kamba, reassured the commission of security personnel’s commitment to the poll.