INEC distributes sensitive materials for Gombe by-election

The Independent National Electoral Commission has distributed sensitive electoral materials to the three local government areas ahead of Saturday’s by-election for the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency.

The materials were distributed on Friday at the Central Bank of Nigeria premises in Gombe in the presence of political party agents, members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, security personnel, CBN officials and journalists.

The by-election, scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026, has 495,851 registered voters expected to participate across the constituency.

Speaking to journalists after the exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Gombe State, Alhaji Umar Muktar Gajiram, said the sensitive materials had been distributed to the relevant local government areas for onward deployment to polling units.

He said the exercise was conducted openly in the presence of stakeholders to promote transparency and strengthen confidence in the electoral process.

Gajiram said, “The sensitive materials have been distributed to the respective local government areas. From there, they will be deployed to the various polling units ahead of tomorrow’s election.

“We have ensured that the process is done in the presence of all the relevant stakeholders, including political party agents, security agencies and other members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.”

The REC explained that the endorsement and signatures on the sensitive materials were necessary to authenticate them and ensure that only duly certified materials were deployed for the election.

He said, “The endorsement and signatures by the commission are part of the authentication process. They establish that these are the materials approved and certified by INEC for this election.”

Gajiram urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to abide by the Peace Accord signed at the Gombe State Police Command ahead of the poll.

He said, “I want to appeal to all political parties, candidates and their supporters to abide by the Peace Accord they signed.

“We expect everyone to maintain peace and ensure that the election is conducted in an orderly, peaceful and credible manner.”

The REC stressed that peaceful conduct was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, expressing optimism that the candidates and their supporters would honour their commitments under the accord.

He added, “We hope that all the political parties and their candidates will respect the commitments they made under the Peace Accord. The responsibility for a peaceful election does not rest on INEC alone; it is a collective responsibility.”

The by-election followed the vacancy in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency and will be conducted across the constituency’s polling units on Saturday.