No Elections In Crisis Areas In Nasarawa – Commissioner

The Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) said on Thursday that it would not conduct election in crisis areas during Saturday’s local government elections in the state.

Dr Abdullahi Modibbo, the Chairman of the commission, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.

“Elections were only going to be conducted in areas where people are physically present,” stressing that no voter would be allowed to cast his/her vote by proxy.

He said that the commission had received complaints from some quarters, alleging that people were relocating in some parts of the state because of fear of attack.

“We are investigating and if we found out that it is true, such places will be excluded from the forthcoming election,” Modibbo said.

On security arrangement, he said all necessary measures had been put in place to provide security personnel to all polling units in the state.

Modibbo said that the commission would partner with relevant security operatives in the state in order to conduct a hitch- free election.

He said already, the commission had displayed voters’ register in all the polling units across the state and urged the electorates to go and confirm their names.

Modibbo said that only six political parties – All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and National Conscience Party (NCP) – presented candidates for the election.

He said that the results of the election would be announced at wards and local government levels in line with the provisions of the state electoral law.

“It is the wards and local governments’ returning officers that would declare the results of the election at the local level, but not NASIEC office in Lafia,” Modibbo said.