The Bauchi State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with transport unions to ensure the safe movement of personnel and materials during the upcoming general poll.
The Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners signed the agreement (NARTO).
Mr. Mohammed Nura, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, stated this to reporters on Tuesday in Bauchi.
He stated that the agreement was signed at the national level and then replicated at the state and local government levels.
The commission, he said, was in partnership with the unions to ensure timely and effective transportation of personnel and poll materials to polling units across the 20 LGAs of the state.
He said the commission had so far distributed non-sensitive materials to the local government areas while the distribution of sensitive poll materials will begin on Thursday.
The REC said the commission had trained 622 Collation/Returning Officers and thousands of other electoral officers to facilitate the smooth conduct of the polls in the state.
He listed the trained election officers to include Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs), Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), and Technical Personnel (RaTech), among others.
Nura said the commission was engaging relevant stakeholders, especially the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), to ensure the safe delivery of election material and peaceful conduct of the elections.
While reiterating their commitment to free, fair, and credible elections, Nura urged voters to conduct themselves peacefully during the poll exercise.
“We are ready to go and appealed to the people of the state to conduct themselves orderly and peacefully during the elections.
“People should turn out en masse to exercise their franchise in a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.
