Two days to the governorship and House of Assembly elections, the new resident electoral commissioner (REC) for Sokoto State, Mrs Hauwa Aliyu Kangiwa, has promised the electorate free and fair elections.
Kangiwa, who was the commission’s administrative secretary in the state, replaced Dr Nura Ali.
At a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday, she reiterated the commission’s readiness for the state elections.
She also held a meeting with heads of security agencies in the state.
INEC national commissioner, Major General Modibo Alkali (rtd), who was deployed alongside others to assist Kangiwa, assured the electorate in the state that the use of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) on Saturday is sacrosanct.
Alkali stressed that anyone who bypasses the use of BVAS machines during accreditation will not participate in the election proper.
“Any polling units without the use of BVAS, the election of such polling units will be cancelled.
“I am assuring every resident of Sokoto State that this coming governorship and house of assembly elections in the state will be free, fair and credible with one man one vote.”
He recalled that most of the elections in the state for the Senate and House of Representatives were cancelled due to bypass of the BVAS, but assured that such would not occur again in the remaining elections.
The cancellation of votes from over 400 polling units in the state was the major reason why all the National Assembly elections were declared inconclusive.
Alkali, however, called on political leaders in the state to play by the electoral rules and regulations.
