LG Poll: Niger SIEC to Camp Ad Hoc Staff

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has said that it will camp all electoral officers and ad hoc staff 24 hours to the November 30 local government election in the state.

The decision of SIEC to isolate the electoral officers is to insulate them from inducement by desperate candidates and their parties.

The Commissioner in charge of Operations, Alhaji Yahaya Abara, who disclosed this to newsmen in Minna on Wednesday, also explained that the camping of the electoral officers at designated areas will guarantee early distribution of election materials.

“We will not allow any official to take election materials to his or her house,” Abara said, adding that the commission has also made provision for the feeding and other needs of the staff.

He stated that proper documentation of everyone taking part in the election, according to polling units, in what he described as polling manuals to forestall denials by party agents, will also be carried out out.

Abara said to show the transparency of the commission, results of the councillors would be announced at the wards, while that of the chairmanship would be made public at the local government SIEC headquarters, in addition to the results being placed on the walls in the locations.

He said not less than 19,000 ad hoc staff and over 60 electoral and assistant electoral officers have been recruited and trained for the election, while 20 observer groups out of the 60 that applied have been cleared by the police to participate in the election.

Abara said non-sensitive materials needed for the election had already been distributed to the 274 wards in the state, adding that the commission had procured speed boats to convey officials and materials to the riverine areas of the state.

In answer to a question, the commissioner explained that special security arrangements have been made for polling in Shiroro, Mariga, Rafi and Borgu where insurgency had been on the increase, adding that: “I can assure voters in these areas and all parts of the state of the security of their lives and property during and after voting.”

Nine political parties are participating in the election, the second to be conducted under the present administration.