The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed sensitive electoral materials to the three local government areas that make up the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency ahead of Saturday’s by-election.

The materials were distributed on Friday at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) premises in Gombe State in the presence of political party agents, security personnel, officials of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, CBN representatives and journalists.

The by-election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 19, 2026, with 495,851 registered voters expected to participate across the constituency.

Speaking with journalists after the distribution exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Gombe State, Alhaji Umar Muktar Gajiram, said the sensitive materials had been delivered to the relevant local government areas for onward deployment to polling units.

Gajiram said the exercise was carried out openly in the presence of relevant stakeholders as part of efforts to promote transparency and build confidence in the electoral process.

“The sensitive materials have been distributed to the respective local government areas. From there, they will be deployed to the various polling units ahead of tomorrow’s election,” he said.

The REC explained that INEC deliberately conducted the distribution in the presence of political party representatives, security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure transparency.

“We have ensured that the process is done in the presence of all the relevant stakeholders, including political party agents, security agencies and other members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security,” he added.

Gajiram also explained the importance of the endorsements and signatures placed on the sensitive electoral materials, saying they were part of INEC’s authentication process.

According to him, the procedure was designed to ensure that only materials duly approved and certified by the commission were deployed for the election.

“The endorsement and signatures by the commission are part of the authentication process. They establish that these are the materials approved and certified by INEC for this election,” he said.

The REC further appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to respect the Peace Accord signed at the Gombe State Police Command ahead of the election.

He urged all stakeholders to avoid actions capable of disrupting the poll and to work towards ensuring a peaceful and orderly electoral process.

“I want to appeal to all political parties, candidates and their supporters to abide by the Peace Accord they signed.

“We expect everyone to maintain peace and ensure that the election is conducted in an orderly, peaceful and credible manner,” Gajiram said.

The INEC official stressed that maintaining peace during the election was a collective responsibility and not one that rested solely on the electoral commission.

He expressed optimism that the participating political parties, candidates and their supporters would honour the commitments they made under the Peace Accord.

“We hope that all the political parties and their candidates will respect the commitments they made under the Peace Accord.

The responsibility for a peaceful election does not rest on INEC alone; it is a collective responsibility,” he added.

The Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency by-election follows the vacancy in the constituency and is expected to be conducted across the designated polling units in the three local government areas on Saturday.

With the distribution of sensitive materials completed, attention now shifts to the deployment of the materials to polling units and the conduct of the election on September 19.

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has unveiled a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council as part of its preparations to mobilise support for the proposed joint presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The campaign council, announced on Thursday, comprises zonal and state coordinators as well as directors overseeing mobilisation, women affairs, strategy and planning, security and intelligence, legal affairs, information technology, administration and other areas.

The Director-General of the movement, John Ughulu, was named Director-General of the campaign, while the National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, is also part of the campaign leadership.

The structure covers Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory, with coordinators appointed for the 36 states.

In a message congratulating the newly appointed members, Sani described their appointments as a call to duty and urged them to take the message and political agenda of the movement to Nigerians across the country.

She said the council had been entrusted with the responsibility of communicating the vision and aspirations of the movement’s principals to Nigerians from the cities to grassroots communities, including local government areas and wards.

“Your selection is not merely an appointment; it is a call to duty, sacrifice, leadership and service to Nigeria. At this critical moment in our nation’s history, the responsibility before the Presidential Campaign Council is enormous,” Sani said.

She added that the movement’s campaign would focus on what it described as a broader national vision rather than individuals seeking personal recognition.

According to her, the movement aims to mobilise Nigerians around the possibility of a more prosperous, united and functional country.

Sani urged members of the council to approach their responsibilities with discipline, loyalty, humility and commitment to the collective objectives of the movement.

“The road ahead will require hard work. It will require strategic thinking, grassroots mobilisation, effective communication and, above all, the ability to work together as one formidable political family,” she said.

She further stated that the immediate responsibility of the campaign council was to ensure that the message of Obi and Kwankwaso reached voters across the country.

Zonal coordinators named
The movement appointed Suleiman Abubakar as North-Central coordinator, Hashimu Dungurawa as North-West coordinator, and Amadu Gwambe as North-East coordinator.

Dr Adebayo Adefolaseye was named South-West coordinator, Christopher Ighodaro was appointed South-South coordinator, while El-Shaddai Ikeh will coordinate activities in the South-East.

State coordinators were also appointed for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Other members of the campaign council include Rev. Mike Agbon, Director of Inter-Ethnic Group in Northern Nigeria;

Sabo Gashua, Director of Grassroots Mobilisation; Glory Adayi, Director of Women Affairs; and Kabir Yahaya, Director of Contact and Engagement.

Abdumumini Tijjani was appointed Director of Mobilisation, Yusuf Mani as Director of Special Duties, Peace Daful as Director of Procurement, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku as Director of South Eastern Town Hall, and Sunmisola Adebayo as Director of Information Technology.

Kingdom Okere was appointed Director of Legal Affairs, Abiodun Dabiri as Director of Strategy and Planning, Richard Enemona, a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, as Director of Security and Intelligence, while Aisha Abdulrahaman was named Director of Administration.

The unveiling of the council is the latest move by the group to establish its campaign structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

Last month, the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement reaffirmed its decision to maintain an independent organisational structure rather than merge with another political organisation.

It also backed Ughulu as its founder and Director-General.

The movement had also recently condemned what it described as the disruption of Obi’s convoy during his visit to Benue State.

The group called for an impartial investigation into the incident and said its security personnel exercised restraint to prevent the situation from escalating.

The 59-member campaign council is expected to coordinate the movement’s mobilisation and engagement activities across the country as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to intensify.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced strategic engagement with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities as part of efforts to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in the 2027 general elections.

The engagement, which also involved cluster heads, focused on sensitisation and mobilisation of persons with disabilities to ensure that eligible voters are adequately informed, effectively reached and meaningfully involved at every stage of the electoral process.

The initiative comes as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, with the electoral commission seeking greater inclusivity and accessibility for all eligible voters.

In a post on its X handle on Wednesday, the Acting Chairman of INEC, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, who represented the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said the engagement was timely.

Gumus said INEC was committed to building an electoral process that would be inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens.

“The Commission is committed to building an electoral process that is inclusive, accessible, participatory and responsive to the needs of all eligible citizens,” she said.

She noted that the participation of persons with disabilities in elections was backed by relevant legal and policy frameworks.

These include Section 54 of the Electoral Act 2026, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and INEC’s Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Electoral Process.

The Acting Chairman, however, stressed the need for innovative approaches to voter education to ensure that electoral information reaches persons with different forms of disabilities.

“We must explore innovative approaches to voter education, including disability-specific communication channels, community-based organisations, radio, social media and other assistive formats,” Gumus said.

INEC releases disability voter data
The Commission disclosed that its available data, compiled before the introduction of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, recorded 137,487 persons with disabilities.

According to INEC, the figure comprises 13,080 visually impaired persons, 9,299 hearing-impaired persons, 30,561 persons with albinism, 19,430 persons with physical impairments and 54,941 persons under other disability categories.

The Commission’s engagement with disability organisations is expected to help bridge information gaps and address challenges that could prevent eligible persons with disabilities from participating effectively in the electoral process.

Gumus urged JONAPWD and the various Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to take ownership of the sensitisation campaign by reaching their members across different disability clusters.

She said members should receive timely and accurate information about voter registration, Permanent Voter Card collection, voting procedures, accessibility measures and other aspects of the electoral process.

“I urge JONAPWD and the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to take ownership of this sensitisation process and ensure that members within your respective clusters receive timely and accurate information,” she said.

Stakeholders to identify barriers before 2027 polls
According to Gumus, the engagement also provides an opportunity for stakeholders to identify barriers that could affect the participation of persons with disabilities before, during and after the 2027 elections.

She said stakeholders would be able to share successful strategies and agree on practical measures to improve the experience of persons with disabilities throughout the electoral process.

“This engagement provides an opportunity to identify barriers to participation, share successful strategies and agree on practical actions that can be implemented before, during and after the elections,” Gumus said.

The Director of Gender and Inclusivity at INEC, Mrs Lakunuya Dorothy Bello, also highlighted some measures already introduced by the Commission to improve accessibility for voters with disabilities.

Among the measures are Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, the EC30 PWD form and sign-language interpretation during collation activities.

The Commission said the latest engagement forms part of its broader efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities are adequately informed and able to participate fully in the electoral process.

INEC said continued collaboration with JONAPWD, OPDs and other relevant stakeholders would be important in identifying practical solutions to accessibility challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.