Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political parties to submit lists of agents.

It foreclosed the extension of the October 10 deadline for the exercise.

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, who issued a statement yesterday, also deplored the insecurity in the land.

According to him, INEC’s engagement with political parties is to engender peaceful polls.

“INEC earnestly appeals to all political parties and candidates to avoid utterances and acts that may heat up the polity. The commission will continue to closely monitor the situation and sustain its engagement with security agencies and stakeholders to ensure peaceful conduct of elections in the three states,” he stated.

Olumekun said with less than 72 hours to deadline, only 55 per cent of agents had been uploaded on the electoral umpire’s portal by political parties for the elections, since the advertisement on August 24.

His words: “For Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi, only 55 per cent of the expected total of 189,180 polling unit agents have been uploaded to the designated INEC Portal.

“Specifically, 29,278 out of the expected 40,372 (72.5 per cent) for Bayelsa; 51,681 out of 85,644 (60.3 per cent) for Imo; and 23,720 out of 63,144 (37.6 per cent) for Kogi State; have been uploaded.

“Similarly, only 25.1 per cent of the expected 15,804 collation agents in the three states have been uploaded: 1,246 (26.0 per cent) out of 4,806 for Bayelsa; 1,638 (27.3 per cent) out of 5,994 for Imo, and 1,095 (21.9 per cent) out of 5,004 for Kogi.

“The commission, hereby, wishes to further remind political parties that the portal will automatically shut down at 12:00 midnight on Tuesday, October 10.”

“There shall be no extension. Consequently, all parties, sponsoring candidates for the elections that are yet to upload the lists of their agents, should do so before the deadline for the exercise.”