INEC fixes Ibarapa bye-election for June 2

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has slated a bye-election to fill the vacant seat of Ibarapa East State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly for Saturday, June 2.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Oyo State, Mutiu Agboke, disclosed this in Ibadan on Tuesday, during a press briefing at the state headquarters of the commission.

The seat became vacant following the death of the immediate past speaker of the House, Michael Adeyemo, on Friday, April 27.

The REC, who is a lawyer, said political parties interested in fielding candidates for the election must conduct their primaries between today and Saturday 19, May, just as he assured voters in the area of conducting a credible election.

Agboke, who remarked that the election would be conducted in 140 polling units of the constituency, said political parties, security agencies and other stakeholders had been invited to discuss the timetable and activities that would lead to the election.

He said machinery was set in motion to fulfil extant laws as soon as the House of Assembly informed the commission formally of the death of Speaker Adeyemo and the consequent vacancy of his position as a lawmaker.

He disclosed that the permanent voter cards (PVCs) for those who freshly registered in the 2017 continuous voter registration had been produced and were ready for collection from Monday next week.

The REC, however, said the PVCs for those who registered in 2018 had not been produced, explaining that they would be ready for use in the 2019 elections.

“The total number of new registrants under CVR is 290, 960 comprising 149, 554 males and 141, 406 females,” he said.

He added that 630, 853 PVCs were yet to be collected in the state, disclosing that the commission had embarked on a series of advocacy campaign and engagement with stakeholders to ensure make the owners of the cards claim them.

He explained further that the commission had taken the campaign to churches and mosques, urging those yet to collect their PVCs to do so at the INEC local government offices in the 33 local government areas of the state.