When Tribune Online visited three out of the eleven Local Government INEC offices, it was discovered that the Electoral Officers in Gombe, the State capital as well as Akko and Yamaltu-Deba LGAs are fully ready for the conduct of Saturday’s polls as they received the elections materials.
As at the time of filling this report, most of the sensitive and non sensitive materials have already been offloaded and even sorted out based on Registration Areas (electoral wards) by the Election officials.
According to Ibrahim Ali, the Electoral Officer for Akko Local Government Area, “We have received full compliments of election materials, everything is under control and our security are ready and armed to their teeth”.
He further said that the distribution to the Registration Areas (electoral wards) would commence by 9:00 am on Friday adding that, with the situation on ground, they will not have any excuse to give for not conducting elections come Saturday.
His counterpart in Yamaltu-Deba, Suleiman Ibrahim, said they have not had any shortfall of the materials from the ballot papers, result sheets, card readers, ballot boxes among others.
He said, ” We have eleven Registration Areas (electoral wards) and we’ll start distribution by 9am with the security fully in control of our office.
In Gombe, the State capital, Saleh Bashir Yunusa, Assistant Electoral Officer (Admin), said there has not been any challenges so far for the rescheduled elections.
“We are fully ready to conduct election by Saturday, we have full compliments of materials for our eleven Registration Areas including card readers. We have not had any mixup of materials from any where”, he pointed out.
Reports from other Local Government Areas of the State also has it that the election materials have reached the Electoral Offices without any rancour.
However, distribution of materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had been characterized by high level secrecy in Gombe State as anxious Journalists were barred from observing the distribution exercise at the Gombe branch of the CBN.