The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may not use students as ad hoc staff if the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) continues.

The Head of Voters Registration and Publicity, Musa Muhammad Sokoto, stated this at a one-day seminar organized for Political Desk and reporters of Print Media in the state.

Muhammad said that INEC needs 16,000 ad hoc staff to conduct the elections in the state, including corps members and students of tertiary institutions, among others.

Responding to question on what they would do if universities remain closed due to ASUU strike, he said they would look for another alternative because the elections must be conducted within the stipulated timeframe.

He also announced plan to sit with social media bloggers on the need to desist from posting unofficial results.

Earlier, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Musa, gave assurance that 2019 elections in Sokoto state would be free and fair no matter whose ox is gored.

“It will be conducted in Sokoto and the result would be announced here,” he said.

He cautioned media practitioners against publishing unofficial results, just as he urged them to always contact the commission for verification before publishing report on their activities and the elections.

He said that they received 1,908,313 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) out of which 1,664,993 were collected while 243,320 had remained unclaimed.

The Administrative Secretary of the agency, Alhaji Yunusa Kika Kura, spoke on their preparation towards the election, saying they have started receiving consignment from INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.

In her remarks, the Gender Desk Officer in the Commission, Malama Aishat Abdullahi, advocated for equitable allocation of airtime and space for both male and female candidates.

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report