The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would deploy 10,294 staff to conclude the re-run National and State Assembly elections in Rivers scheduled for Saturday. INEC which stated this in its daily bulletin issued on Tuesday in Abuja that 14 categories of staff would be deployed to make up the 10,294 figure.
The categories according to the commission, will include three Returning Officers for the three Senatorial Districts (DC); eight Returning Officers for Federal Constituencies (FC) and 10 Returning officers for State Constituencies (SC). INEC added that the categories include 23 Local Government Areas (Collation Officers; 221 Registration Area (RA), Collation Officers; 57 Collation Officers (for Collation only at RAs and 231 Supervisory Presiding Officers.
Also to be deployed it said were 1,840 Presiding Officers; 6,609 Assistant Presiding Officers (I, II and III) and 661 Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs). Others are 363 Reserve APOs; 21 Constituency Supervisors; 24 LGA Supervisors and 223 RA Supervisors.
The elections will take place across 21 constituencies which include three senatorial districts; eight federal constituencies; and 10 state constituencies. The three senatorial districts are Rivers East Senatorial District; Rivers West and Rivers South-East.
The eight Federal Constituencies are; Akuku-Toru/Asari Toru; Degema/Bonny; Okrika/Ogu-Bolo; Etche/Omuma; Ikwere/Emohua; Khana Gokana; Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo and Opobo/Nkoro/Andoni. The Bulleting said that State Constituencies where election would also hold were Eleme, Gokana, Asari-Toru I, Asari-Toru II, Andoni, Khana II, Etche II, Ikwere, Bonny and Degema.
The elections were, however, disrupted by violence as a result of which they were suspended on March 19. As at the time of the suspension of the elections, the exercise was at different stages. The elections had been concluded in some constituencies with the declaration of results and return of winners by the respective returning officers. In some areas, collation had been concluded but no declaration or return made. In yet some other areas, voting had been concluded and collation was on-going but yet to be concluded. In some places, voting had been concluded but collation yet to commence, while in some other places, there was no voting among other challenges.
