Elections shift: INEC retrieves sensitive materials from LGs to CBN in Lagos

The National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State, on Sunday said it had retrieved all sensitive materials for the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections earlier distributed to the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

INEC Spokesman in Lagos State, Mr Femi Akinbiyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, that all sensitive materials had been retrieved and kept in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under security watch.

He said that the sensitive materials, which comprised ballot papers and result sheets, had been distributed at the three senatorial districts before they were later moved to the 20 LGAs.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had attributed the postponement of the elections to logistic and operational problems.

Akinbiyi said that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police had monitored the exercise in some local governments.

“The instruction from the INEC headquarters was that all sensitive materials should be moved back to the CBN and the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State was in Ikeja today to supervise such movement.

“The movement across the state was done under tight security,” he said.

According to him, all card readers earlier deployed to each local government area have been returned to the INEC office in Yaba for reconfiguration.

The INEC Public Relations Officer added that all ad hoc staff had been paid their training allowances for the postponed elections.

The Governorship, State Houses of Assembly, and FCT Area Council elections were also shifted from March 2 to March 9.

The INEC state chairman said that the postponement would afford the electoral body the opportunity to address the identified challenges in order to maintain the quality of Nigeria’s election.