As soon as the time clocks midnight on Saturday 3 February, there shall be vehicular restrictions to be expected in 26 states of the federation to allow the by-elections and run-offs to be held in the most civil way possible.

This advisory, released two days before the polls can open, was shared through the Nigeria Police Force’s public relations officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

According to the statement posted via the X platform, vehicles, once the clock reaches the 12:00 a.m. mark, can only resume their activities 18 hours later in order to keep peace.

Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has mandated a restriction of vehicular movement from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. on [Election Day] in 26 states holding run-off and bye-elections on Saturday, February 3, 2024.

Essential services like INEC officials, accredited media, and emergency responders are exempted.

The IGP also bans security aides to VIPs from polling booths and state-owned security outfits from election security management, aiming to prevent interference.

Emphasizing the commitment to a secure electoral process, the IGP urges responsible conduct and warns of legal consequences for disruptions. Citizens are encouraged to report any suspicious activities to specified authorities.

Although the police force looks committed to performing its duties, it is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that has the main responsibility of ensuring things go to plan.

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Places where elections are to be expected include Ebonyi, Yobe, Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau and Akwa Ibom.

And there are others too such as Anambra, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

But the restriction on movement will only cover the specific area in the state where polls have been opened.

Last year’s general elections raised concerns about the commission’s capacity to handle elections without glitches although analysts still think that despite bottlenecks in uploading results in real-time as promised, the electoral body’s output edges out the performance recorded in the previous years.

INEC is to conduct the imminent polls in the regions where there are vacant seats due to deaths or the resignation of positions, especially in federal and state assemblies.  Another scenario covered is for run-offs orders given by the by-election petition tribunals that heard matters brought before them.

Currently, reads an INEC statement, 35 Constituencies are affected by these Court-ordered elections. While three cover entire constituencies, others involve only a few Polling Units.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.