The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Katsina State, Alhaji Jibril Zarewa, says 7,800 ad-hoc staff will conduct the Katsina North Senatorial by-election on Saturday.
Zarewa made this known in Daura on Wednesday during a meeting with stakeholders and representatives of political parties ahead of the election.
He said the ad-hoc staff members were recruited from the NYSC and tertiary institutions, stressing that they had been adequately trained for the forthcoming election.
The REC further said all the non-sensitive materials have been delivered to the affected 12 local government areas in the constituency, adding that the sensitive materials were presently in custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Zarewa said: “We are inviting political parties, security agencies, civil society groups and the media to witness the distribution of the materials”.
He said accreditation of voters would begin by 8:00 am on Saturday across the 148 electoral wards in the 12 local government areas.
In his remarks, Mr Abubakar Nahuce, the INEC national commissioner in charge of Jigawa, Kano and Katsina, assured the stakeholders that all electoral rules would be adhered to, including the use of smart card reader.
He appealed to security agencies and the media professionals to be vigilant and objective in their reportage during and after the elections, saying the commission would adequately monitor compliance to extant electoral laws.
The Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Habu Hamisu, said adequate security measures had been taken put in place to ensure a free and fair election, adding that policemen would be drafted to safeguard the credibility of the senatorial election.
He explained that the senatorial zone was divided into twelve units with each local government under the supervision of a deputy commissioner of police.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, would arrive Daura on Thursday to participate in the grand final campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress(APC) ahead of the Saturday election .(NAN)
