Kogi by-election ready for Saturday — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that preparations are complete for Saturday’s by-election in the Dekina-Okura constituency of Kogi State.

The election follows the death of the former Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Enema Paul, on December 14, 2024, after a prolonged illness.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kogi, Mr. Oliver Agundu, represented by INEC Education Officer, Mr. Haruna Haliru, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Tuesday that security and logistical plans were already in place.

He said the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had met to strategise on securing personnel and materials before, during, and after the poll.

“All non-sensitive materials have been deployed to the local government, and we expect the sensitive materials to arrive by Wednesday or Thursday,” Agundu stated.

He added that training for supervisory presiding officers, presiding officers, and assistant presiding officers had been concluded in readiness for the exercise.

Five candidates from Accord, African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will contest the seat.

The REC assured stakeholders of a free, fair, and transparent process, urging registered voters in the constituency to turn out in large numbers and conduct themselves peacefully while voting for candidates of their choice.