INEC Confirms 5.4 Million Electorate Eligible To Vote In Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa Gubernatorial Polls

11th October 2023

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided details about the upcoming off-season governorship elections in the states of Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo. INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, announced that there are a total of 5,409,438 registered voters who will participate in the elections.

The breakdown of registered voters for the three states is as follows:

• Bayelsa State: 1,056,862 registered voters

• Imo State: 2,419,922 registered voters

• Kogi State: 1,932,654 registered voters

The commission also revealed that 16 political parties have cleared candidates in Bayelsa, 17 in Imo, and all 18 registered parties in Kogi.

INEC is preparing for the elections by deploying technology for voter accreditation and result management. The commission will conduct a mock accreditation of voters on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in the three states to test-run the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). This mock exercise is aimed at ensuring the smooth deployment of these technologies on the actual Election Day.

The commission has provided a list of designated polling units for each state on its website and social media platforms and is inviting State Chairmen of political parties or their designated representatives to attend the presentation of the voters' register. This presentation will take place at the Collation Centers in the State Headquarters of the commission in Lokoja, Owerri, and Yenagoa on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

INEC emphasized that the mock accreditation is a test-run and not the actual election, and it encourages registered voters in the selected polling units to participate by bringing their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for the exercise.