We Have No Candidate In Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi Elections – INEC

The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this known in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

Yakubu also pledged to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates in the elections, adding that the staff of the Commission are ready for the off-cycle elections.

The INEC chairman stated that the responsibility of the Commission is to safeguard the process and ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates.

He said: “In less than 48 hours, 5,169,692 Nigerians who collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) are expected to vote in off-cycle Governorship elections. This is the first time in our history that these elections are held on the same day and across three geo-political zones of the country: North Central (Kogi), South East (Imo) and South South (Bayelsa).

“As we approach Election Day, I wish to call on our officials (both regular and ad-hoc) to demonstrate the highest level of patriotism and professionalism. As I said repeatedly, not least during my recent readiness assessment visits to the three States, INEC is not a political party, and we have no candidate in the election.”