The Independent National Electoral Commission in Lagos State on Thursday commenced the distribution of sensitive materials to its offices in the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria observed that election materials were being moved under the watch of security personnel, observers and political parties’ agents as at 1pm.
Femi Akinbiyi, the Head of Public Affairs of INEC, Lagos office, said the commission commenced the distribution with the riverine areas of Badagry and Epe.
Akinbiyi said: “We have commenced the distribution of ballot papers and results sheets.
“We planned it in such a way that we started with farthest Local Government Areas such as Badagry.
“We are carrying this out in the presence party agents for them to see what is going on.
“The ballot papers and result sheets are being distributed and the party representatives are taking records.”
Akinbiyi said the materials would be escorted by the security agents accompanied by party agents to all the 20 LGAs for further distribution on Friday to all the 245 wards in the state.
He said: “They are being escorted by security personnel and will be secured in all our offices in the Local Government Areas.
“Tomorrow the materials will be distributed to all the Registration Area Camps.
“That is where everybody will sleep on election eve for easy movement to polling units on Saturday.
“All our ad hoc staff, security agents, all other staff and party agents working in each of the wards will sleep there until Saturday morning.
“As early as 5am or 6am on Saturday, we will be moving to all the 8,462 polling units to ensure that the accreditation starts at 8am as scheduled.
Akinbiyi said INEC staff would arrive at the polling units before 8am when the accreditation was expected to start.
According to him, over 50,000 workers, including ad hoc and INEC officials, would be used for the exercise in the state.
Akinbiyi said the commission had enough sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the election.
He said INEC had no fewer than 12,000 smart card readers for accreditation of voters, a number he said exceeded the 8,462 polling units in the state.
The INEC spokesman urged voters to be orderly and well behaved before, during and after the election.
He urged party agents to be orderly and abide by the Electoral Acts while monitoring the elections, adding: “They should not prove to be too known.”
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Wahab Owokoniran, who led his party’s agents to witness the distribution, said the exercise had been transparent.
“So far, I have seen some high level of transparency and the exercise is going on smoothly, though slowly,” Owokoniran told NAN.
Kayode Oseni, the state representative of the All Progressives Congress, who led his party’s agents to witness the exercise, expressed similar opinion.
Oseni said: “What we have seen so far is quite encouraging.
“The process of distribution of sensitive materials has been quite transparent.
“The process is going on smoothly though slowly.”
NAN reports that the 2015 presidential election will hold on Saturday.
A NAN correspondent who monitored activities at Surulere LGA, reported that the INEC personnel in the areas were putting finishing touches to their preparations for the election.
The National Youth Service Corps members recruited as ad hoc staff were seen checking for their area of posting.
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