98 percent of card readers reconfigured, ballot papers retrieved, INEC reveals

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has achieved 98 percent reconfiguration of smart card readers for use for the rescheduled elections.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu said this when he addressed a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

He added that all non-sensitive materials as well as ballot papers have been retrieved and delivered to various locations.

Recall that some of the issues that triggered postponement of the election, according to INEC, were issues around logistics including delay in arrival of election materials.

But Yakubu said all issues relating to the delivery of the materials have so far been identified and “virtually addressed.”

“Ballot papers, result sheets and a host of non-sensitive materials are now in location across the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory,” he said

Yakubu revealed INEC state offices have begun the process of inviting stakeholders to the Central Bank of Nigeria to examine the retrieved materials deployed last week.

He added that the movement of materials to local government areas for batching shall take place on Wednesday and Thursday, two days to the rescheduled date for the presidential and national assembly polls.

“All registration area centres (RACs) are to be activated by 9am on Friday,” he said.

“Personnel and materials must arrive at the polling units latest 7am on Saturday, while opening of polls nationwide will take place at 8am.”