The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will not count votes in any polling unit where violence is recorded during Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this in Yenagoa, during a stakeholders’ meeting.

Mr Yakubu, represented by the INEC National Commissioner supervising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, said that the commission would deploy BIVAS to all polling units for the election.

“I want to let you know that our BIVAS have been customised for INEC, so INEC details and the name of the parties are on the BIVAS, so any BIVAS you see without INEC details cannot be from INEC.

“Another thing, we have all the list of the serial number of the BIVAS we are going to use, the result sheets will be signed at the polling units. Where there is violence, it will be zero, we will not return to thatNo vote counting in polling units where violence is recorded: INEC to conduct an election.

“We have recruited and carefully trained all categories of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field, all non-sensitive materials have been distributed to the eight local government area offices of the state, voter education and sensitisation is ongoing,” he said.

Mr Yakubu added: “We have made arrangements for the transportation of personnel and materials to ensure that polling units open on schedule on election day.

“For more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying two National Commissioners, eight Resident Electoral Commissioners to support our office in Bayelsa. I wish to assure you of our commitment to a free, fair and credible election come Saturday.”

Also speaking, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Tolani Alausa, said the police were fully prepared to ensure a peaceful election on Saturday.

Represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Mr Ijamah Daniel, Mr Alausa said that the force would deploy enough personnel for the election.

“In every polling unit, we are going to deploy three to six officers, outside that, the IG has deployed as much as 21 units of mobile police force, under tactical units like the special force, the counterterrorism unit and special protection unit are all coming to Bayelsa. I advise every one of us to be law-abiding, because we are prepared to withstand any type of challenge that will arise. We are equal to the task,” he said.

(NAN)