The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has started distributing sensitive election materials ahead of Saturday’s Rivers South-East Senatorial District bye-election, with more than 858,000 registered voters expected to take part in the exercise.
The poll is being held to fill the vacant senatorial seat left by the late Senator Barry Mpigi, who died in February while receiving treatment in London.
On Thursday, ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive materials were inspected at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) zonal headquarters in Port Harcourt before being dispatched to designated centres across the district.
Representatives of political parties participating in the election, including the Action Alliance, All Progressives Congress, Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party, monitored the inspection process.
Speaking during the exercise, Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Johnson Sinikiem, said the inspection was part of efforts to maintain transparency and build confidence in the electoral process.
“We have come to inspect and distribute the ballot papers and the result sheets that we are going to use for the Saturday, June 20, 2026, senatorial bye-election in Rivers State.
“As you can see, the materials are intact and have not been tampered with. Party agents are free to inspect them, and once there are no objections, they will be distributed to the local governments and RAC centres,” he said.
According to INEC, 858,573 registered voters across 1,629 polling units will be eligible to vote in the election.
The bye-election will take place in seven local government areas within the Rivers South-East Senatorial District: Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro and Oyigbo.
