NAF demands unpaid debt to help INEC airlift by-election materials

The demand for the unpaid debt to help airlift by-election materials is being made by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He asked the commission to pay its outstanding bills so the Air Force could assist in airlifting materials for the upcoming by-elections. The demand was made during a visit to him in Abuja by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to seek the support of NAF ahead of the February 3 rerun/by-elections.

INEC is set to conduct by-elections and re-runs in 26 states of the federation on Saturday. Abubakar emphasized the need for the outstanding bills to be settled to enable the Air Force to effectively support INEC with the transportation of election materials. The deployment of election materials is a monumental task, and hence, the commission seeks the support of the air force to deliver election materials to three locations in the North-East, South-East, and the South-West geo-political zones of the country.

Abubakar assured that the Nigerian Air Force remains willing, able, and ready to continue supporting INEC. However, he pointed out that there are outstanding bills that need to be cleared by INEC for the Air Force to serve the commission better. He emphasized that the settlement of those bills will enable them to provide better services.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu noted that the evacuation of the materials from the focal airports to the states where the election will hold will be handled by the commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, as has been the standard practice. The inspection and movement of all materials to the various local government areas and beyond will involve the full participation of all stakeholders, particularly agents of political parties and candidates, observers, and the media in a transparent manner.

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