Elections: INEC to deploy 23,000 staff in Niger ― REC

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is to deploy 23,000 staff to conduct the general elections in Niger, according to Prof. Samuel Egwu, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner.

Egwu told newsmen on Wednesday in Minna that most of the staff were ad hoc workers, while some were regular workers of the commission.

“Already, we have trained the 23,000 electoral workers and equipped them with basic electoral knowledge for the exercise,” he said.

The commissioner expressed hope that the exercise would be successful, “because we have plugged holes exploited by miscreants to cause confusion during elections”.

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He expressed confidence that the exercise would be transparent, free, fair and credible, adding that the commission had entered into a partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), on the movement of electoral materials to polling units.

”We have also put in place security measures to guarantee the safety of electoral materials and our workers before, during and after the exercise,” he added.

The REC solicited the support of stakeholders, especially traditional and religious leaders, in mobilising eligible residents to participate in the exercise in a peaceful manner.

Egwu also advised people that had registered but had yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), to do so at INEC’s offices in the 25 local governments.