By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday that it had secured the services of some helicopter companies to deliver sensitive materials to terrains in Bayelsa State.
Briefing reporters in Yenagoa, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Monday Udoh, dismissed allegations that the commission under his watch was colluding with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the poll.
He said Bayelsa, being about 75 per cent water, had always been a very difficult state to conduct election, especially during the movement of materials and election personnel.
Udoh said: “We are tackling insecurity and on November 1, I am going to be in Abuja with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and other top officers of the military and security agencies to also talk more about the security, how we are going to escort our materials to where they are supposed to be.
“We have enlisted the use of helicopters so that where we always have problems or maybe so much time running on the sea, we have to airlift them to where they should be.”
Read Also: INEC to deliver materials in Bayelsa with helicopters
The REC stressed that INEC was working towards conducting a free, fair, credible and peaceful governorship election on November 16.
He said there was no truth in the report that he conspired with the Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Otuoke to enlist APC members as supervisory officers (SPOs), describing it as fake news.
“We shall remain focused in achieving our mandate. We shall not be distracted by fake and false news being peddled against my humble self and INEC in Bayelsa State.
“I have no contact with the acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) of Federal University, Otuoke either to recruit or receive a list from him. So it is completely false and a figment of the imagination of those behind such news,” he said.
Udoh said INEC, in collaboration with the Navy, began the profiling of marine boat owners contracted to convey the non-sensitive election materials to the polling units in the communities across the riverine areas.
He said: “Now, over one month to the election, we have concluded arrangements with boat owners. The Navy is profiling them. Profiling means that we want to know the owners of the boats and the identities of their drivers.
“We have trained our ad hoc workers about two weeks ahead of the election.
“INEC wants this election to be a good example in a way that it is going to act as a catalyst for the 2023 general election.”
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