The Independent National Electoral Commission 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 premises in Gombe in the presence of political party agents, security personnel, members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and journalists.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Gombe State, Umar Muktar Gajiram, said the materials would be moved from the respective local government areas to polling units ahead of the September 19 election.
He said the distribution was conducted openly with relevant stakeholders present as part of measures to promote transparency and build confidence in the electoral process.
Gajiram explained that the endorsement and signatures placed on the sensitive materials formed part of INEC’s authentication process, ensuring that only materials officially approved and certified by the commission were deployed for the poll.
The Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency has 495,851 registered voters spread across 903 polling units and 31 registration areas in the three local government areas.
INEC had earlier identified Gombe and Funakaye as high-risk areas because of concerns over the activities of political thugs, while Kwami was placed under heightened security monitoring following recent attacks and its proximity to Borno State.
The REC therefore appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to respect the Peace Accord signed ahead of the election and avoid actions capable of disrupting the exercise.
He stressed that maintaining peace was a collective responsibility and urged all stakeholders to honour their commitments to ensuring an orderly poll.
The commission is scheduled to conduct the by-election on Saturday, September 19, to fill the vacant House of Representatives seat previously occupied by Yaya Tongo, who died in June 2026.
