The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says all sensitive materials for Saturday’s bye-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states have been distributed, with all Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices configured for use.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, adding that non-sensitive materials, ad hoc staff recruitment, training, security, and logistics arrangements had also been concluded.
The elections will cover two senatorial districts in Anambra and Edo States, five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun and Oyo States, and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna (two), Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba and Zamfara States. Court-ordered rerun polls will also hold in Onitsha South I (Anambra) and Ghari/Tsanyawa (Kano).
Olumekun reminded political parties and candidates that campaigns end at midnight on Thursday and urged all stakeholders to strictly comply with electoral laws for a smooth process.
On voter registration, he announced that the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will resume on Monday, 18 August, with online pre-registration, while physical registration will begin a week later at 811 INEC state and local government offices.
Citizens will also be able to transfer their registration and replace damaged or lost Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The commission also confirmed that 17 political parties have nominated 637 candidates for 68 positions — six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats — in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for 21 February 2026.
The personal particulars of all candidates will be published on 18 August for public scrutiny, with the final list to be released on 22 September.
