The Independent National Electoral Commission says it will deploy 46,084 ad hoc staff for the November 11 governorship poll in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja on Friday, adding that accredited national and international organisations would deploy 11,000 observers for the off-cycle election.
The INEC Chairman also added that the 18 political parties participating in the governorship election would deploy 137,934 agents made up of 130,093 polling and 7,841 collation agents.
Yakubu noted, “While we are leaving no stone unturned in other areas of preparations for the governorship elections, the commission plans to deploy a total of 46,084 regular and ad hoc staff for the election.
“We have so far accredited 126 national and international organisations collectively deploying 11,000 observers for the election. Although the portal for media accreditation closes on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, we have received applications from 80 media organisations seeking to deploy 1,203 personnel made up of journalists and technical/support staff to report on the elections.”
Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that no fewer than 29,000 permanent voter cards had been collected by registered voters in Kogi and Bayelsa states between September 11, 2023, when PVC collection commenced in the three states and the October 9, 2023 deadline.
It was gathered on Friday that 20,000 PVCs were collected in Kogi State and 9, 641 PVCs were collected in Bayelsa state. However, the figure of collected PVC cards in Imo state was unavailable as the list was still being compiled as of press time.
