The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that three political parties will not take part in the coming bye-elections for two seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The affected parties are the Peoples Democratic Party, the African Democratic Congress, and the Labour Party.
The elections are fixed for February 21 and will hold in Khana State Constituency II and Ahoada East State Constituency II.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Gabriel Yomere, made this known on Thursday during a press briefing in Port Harcourt.
He explained that five candidates will contest for the Khana Constituency II seat, while seven candidates will compete in Ahoada East Constituency II.
According to the commission, seven political parties have been cleared to participate.
They include Action Alliance, All Progressives Congress, Allied Peoples Movement, Boot Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
INEC stated that the Peoples Democratic Party did not organise a primary election and therefore did not produce a candidate for the poll.
The African Democratic Congress was left out because it failed to upload its candidate’s details to the commission’s nomination portal before the deadline.
The Labour Party is currently facing a court case linked to its candidate selection process, which has made it unable to field a candidate for the exercise.
The electoral body also gave updates on preparations for the polls.
It said all Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines have been set up and are ready for use. The screening and training of election officials are still ongoing.
To strengthen trust in the process, all Supervisory Presiding Officers have been selected from core staff of the commission since the election will take place in only two local government areas.
Other temporary officials, including Assistant Presiding Officers, are being drawn from members of the National Youth Service Corps.
The commission further disclosed that non-sensitive materials have already been sent to the affected local government areas.
Sensitive materials will be taken to the Registration Area Centres on the morning of the election under the watch of security personnel.
INEC also revealed that it has identified areas that may face security concerns.
Security agencies have been informed and are expected to deploy officers to maintain peace and prevent any form of disruption during the election.
The commission assured voters and political stakeholders that it remains committed to conducting a free and fair election in both constituencies.
Residents and political actors were urged to cooperate with electoral officials and security agencies to ensure a smooth and peaceful process.
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