From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to settle the outstanding bills of election duty to enable them serve the commission well in this weekend’s re-run and bye-elections.
Abubakar made the appeal when the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, led a delegation to NAF headquarters in Abuja yesterday to visit him.
The INEC Chairman had requested the services of the military outfit in this weekend’s re-run and bye-elections holding across the 26 states of the federation.
According him; “The elections are holding this weekend. Working with the Central Bank of Nigeria, materials are being delivered to many locations. However, given the size and distance of some constituencies, we seek for the support of NAF to expeditiously deliver materials to three locations in the North East, South East and the South West geo-political zones of the country.
“We have already indicated to the Chief of the Air Staff the specific locations and the tonnage of materials to be airlifted. The evacuation of the materials from the focal airports to the states where election will hold will be handled by the commission and the CBN as has been the standard practice.
“Thereafter, the inspection and movement of all materials to the various Local Government Areas and beyond will be done with the full participation of all stakeholders, particularly agents of political parties and candidates, observers and the media in a transparent manner,” he said.
However, Abubakar, in his remarks reminded the INEC delegation that the arrears of the services it rendered in the past has not been paid.
“I would like to seize this opportunity to remind the Chairman that there are some outstanding bills which are yet to be cleared by INEC. The settlement of those bills will enable us to serve you better.
“At the moment, our C-130s are currently undergoing maintenance, but we have other aircrafts that can be employed to move sensitive materials. The caveat is that we need to move those materials a little earlier due to the capacity of the airplanes which we have available.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Chairman of the commission and his entourage. I believe that this encounter will serve as a platform for even greater cooperation and synergy between the Nigerian Air Force and INEC. We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the positive impact we can collectively make for Nigeria to stand strong as the giant of Africa,” he noted.
Stating their mission to NAF headquarters, the electoral umpire boss, in his own remarks, said: “I would like to commend NAF for your cooperation in the area of election security and logistic support for the timely delivery of materials during general elections, off-cycle elections, bye-elections, supplementary elections and re-run elections.
“I want to place on record the neutrality and professionalism of NAF in particular, and armed forces in general, in discharging your responsibilities. There has been no unhappy incidents or compromise on the part of your officers and airmen.
“This weekend, the Commission will conduct bye-elections and re-run elections in 26 states of the federation. In handling such a huge national assignment, the Commission cannot do it alone. That is why we seek to mobilise every national asset, including NAF.
“It is in realisation of this objective that the law empowers the Commission to seek the support of the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the delivery of materials, and the protection of election officials as clearly provided for in Section 27(3) of the Electoral Act 2022,” he said.