The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is holding the first off-cycle elections since the 2023 general elections today as the people of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states decide on their governors for new four-year terms.

A total of 46,084 regular and ad hoc staff are deployed in the three states, according to the electoral body.

At least 126 national and international organisations are accredited with 11,000 observers deployed for the elections, while 80 media organisations applied to deploy 1,203 personnel, including journalists and technical/support staff.

All 18 political parties are contesting in Kogi, while Imo and Bayelsa have 17 and 16 candidates, respectively, with the parties deploying 137,934 agents made up of 130,093 polling and 7,841 collation agents.

To ensure a secure environment for electoral conduct, the police mobilised a total of 92,565 personnel, including 27,000 in Bayelsa, 25,565 in Imo, and 40,000 in Kogi, and several assets such as five helicopters and 15 gunboats.

The Federal Road Safety Corps also deployed 1,500 operatives and 105 vehicles.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the elections will be held in 10,470 polling units across 649 electoral wards in 56 local government areas.

9:41 pm: INEC adjourns state collation of results for the Bayelsa governorship election. The collation was moved to 10:00 am on Sunday.

9:28 pm: Activities about to begin at the collation centre in Bayelsa State

8:28 pm: INEC suspends elections in nine wards in Ogori/Magongo LGA of Kogi State, saying incidents in some other LGAs are being investigated and its decision will be announced in the next 24 hours.

7:17 pm: INEC announces the release of its Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) abducted on Friday, saying, “The officer is doing fine.”


7:12 pm: LP governorship candidate in Imo State, Athan Achonu, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence was recorded and calls for a rerun in those areas.

Athan Achonu, the LP Governorship candidate, wants INEC to cancel polling units where violence occurred.#ImoDecides2023

3:35 pm: An INEC official uploads the results onto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in Lokoja LGA, Kogi State.

An election official trying to upload results on the INEC Results View at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in the Lokoja local government area.#KogiDecides2023

5:35 pm: Results arrive at the Kolokuma/Opokuma Council Area in Bayelsa State from polling units for collation.

3:35 pm: An INEC official uploads the results onto the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in Lokoja LGA, Kogi State.

An election official trying to upload results on the INEC Results View at Polling Unit 012 Crowther Memorial College, Ward A in the Lokoja local government area.#KogiDecides2023

3:13 pm: At Polling Unit 069, Crowder 2, Open Place in Ward 01 in Lokoja LGA, voting has ended and ballots have been counted.

The results are as follows:

AA – 1
ADC – 3
APC – 38
PDP – 15
SDP – 23

Invalid Votes – 6

3:13 pm: INEC refutes allegations that shortlisted and trained INEC ad hoc staff members were dropped and replaced with unknown individuals.

2:55 pm: Voting has ended at Polling Unit 079 in Ward 01 of Lokoja LGA, Kogi State. Election officials are crossing out the unused ballot papers as stipulated in the Electoral Law.

2:45 pm: Sorting and counting concludes at Ward 9, Unit 10 of Agudama Ekpetiama Community in Bayelsa State.

Voting and collation concluded at Ward 9, Unit 10, in the Agudama Ekpetiama community in Bayelsa State.