The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kogi State said that it would train 16,025 ad-hoc staff for the presidential, National and State Assembly elections.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. James Apam, who disclosed this on Thursday in Lokoja said that 546 of the staff would serve as supervisory presiding officers as well as collation and returning officers.
According to him, the staff will conduct the elections in 3,508 polling units spread across 239 wards in the state.
He said that the training of the ad-hoc staff would commence very soon, expressing the readiness of the INEC to conduct a free and fair elections.
Apam said that 704 candidates would contest the national and state assembly elections in the state; 73 for Senate, 153 for House of Representatives and 478 for state house of assembly elections.
The REC also disclosed that the office had received non-sensitive election materials in readiness for the election, listing the materials received to include ballot boxes and Smart card readers.
To achieve a hitch free elections, Apam stated that series of meetings had been held with political parties, traditional rulers, civil society groups.
He added that efforts were in top gear to launch a sustained public enlightenment campaigns on radio and television stations.
“Market outreaches will also be held in the three senatorial districts beginning from Jan. 28,” he said.
Also at the meeting, the state Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Dolapo Ahile urged that corp members should not be deployed to flashpoints and remote areas.
She also reminded politicians to see the Corps members as their children, saying that they must ensure they were well treated and protected.
The representative of the Commissioner of Police, ACP Shuaibu Audu, gave the assurance that the police would provide adequate security for voters, staff and election materials.
He said that policeman would not be allowed to carry guns to the polling units, advising people to be orderly and law abiding on elections days.
Other stakeholders at the meeting included the Christian Association of Nigeria, Jamatul Nasirul Islam, civil society groups, FRSC, Civil Defence, DSS, Immigration, Customs and other security agencies
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 in Kogi State said that it would train 16,025 ad-hoc staff for the presidential, National and State Assembly elections.){kind=link}