INEC clears four parties for Nasarawa North senatorial by-election

The Independent National Electoral Commission says four political parties have successfully nominated candidates and been cleared to participate in the June 20 Nasarawa North Senatorial District bye-election.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Nasarawa State, Mohammed Abubakar-Sadiq, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lafia while briefing journalists on the commission’s level of preparedness for the election.

Abubakar-Sadiq said the four parties are the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party.

According to him, the political parties conducted their primary elections between May 22 and May 26 in line with the electoral timetable.

He said INEC effectively monitored the primaries in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and subsequently cleared the parties after they successfully nominated their candidates.

“The timeline allowed for campaigns is from June 10 to June 18, 2026, and the commission will continue to monitor campaigns to ensure compliance with the Electoral Act and other relevant regulations,” he said.

The REC added that the commission had already engaged the four parties and cautioned them to adhere strictly to the rules guiding the electoral process ahead of the poll.

He said INEC had also intensified preparations for the election scheduled to hold in Akwanga, Wamba, and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas.

Abubakar-Sadiq disclosed that all non-sensitive election materials had been received and distributed to the participating local government areas.

He said electoral officers had been directed to batch the materials according to Registration Areas and polling units to facilitate seamless deployment.

The REC further stated that Registration Area Centres (RACs) and Super RACs had been identified and were ready for activation on June 19 for election personnel and materials.

He explained that the arrangement was aimed at ensuring early deployment and timely commencement of voting on election day.

Abubakar-Sadiq said a total of 338,042 registered voters captured during the 2023 general election would be eligible to vote in the bye-election.

He clarified that voters registered during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which commenced in August 2025, would not participate because their permanent voter cards had not yet been issued.

The REC also disclosed that supervisory presiding officers drawn from INEC, the National Youth Service Corps, and the National Orientation Agency had been trained between June 5 and June 7 at the Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia.

He added that training for presiding officers and assistant presiding officers for the 583 polling units would hold from June 12 to June 14.

According to him, the commission has configured its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and printed the electronic voters’ register for deployment.

Abubakar-Sadiq expressed confidence in the commission’s readiness to conduct a free, fair, and credible bye-election on June 20.

“We are fully prepared for the election and all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure a smooth and credible process,” he said. (NAN)