5 Political Parties To Participate In Ekiti Assembly Poll As INEC Gets Materials

Five political parties will take part in this Saturday’s bye-election into Ekiti East Constituency (1) of the State House of Assembly.

INEC Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Adeniran Tella, made this known in Omuo Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti East Local Government of the state on Tuesday at a Stakeholders meeting, organised by INEC, preparatory to the exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bye-election is coming following the recent death of Mr Juwa Adegbuyi, the member representing the Constituency in the Assembly on the platform of the ruling APC in the state.

Names of the political parties were given as AA, APC, APGA, PDP and YPP.

Representatives and candidates of the parties have consequently signed a peace accord to abide by the outcome of the exercise.

Representatives and candidates of the five parties, endorsed the documents at the stakeholders meeting organised.

Addressing the gathering, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner assured people of the constituency that their votes would count and called for their cooperation to ensure violent free bye election.

“Under my watch in Ekiti, we are going to improve on the existing quality and standard performance of the commission and to ensure that what belongs to Caesar goes to Caesar and to the Lord, what is Lord”, he said.

The INEC Commissioner told them that non-sensitive materials were already on ground while the commission was still waiting for the sensitive ones.

According to him, INEC had also undertaken the training of Ad-hoc officials to be used for the election, bulk of whom are NYSC members.

“Provision of voter registers is in progress, based on what we used during the last poll because no fresh registration has taken place since then

“However, it is mandatory that we give participating political parties soft copies of the registers in use, to confirm and consolidate our level of transparency and commitment”, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti state, Mr Tunde Mobayo, represented by Mr Patrick Daaor, promised that the police and other sister agencies would provide adequate security on Saturday.

In their short remarks, the state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Chikezie Nenna, IPAC Chairman, Mr Ifedayo Adedayo and the NOA state Director, Mr Bankole Fadahunsi urged people of the Constituency to shun thuggery and be peaceful throughout the period of the exercise.