Two new Resident Electoral Commissioners have been sworn in by the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

They are Alalibo Johnson who becomes the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Cross Rivers State and Umar Gajiram who becomes the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Taraba State.

Mr Johnson replaces the former REC, Frankland Briyia, who resigned his position as the state commissioner in August last year to contest in the November 16 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Mr Gajiram replaces the former Taraba state REC, late Baba Yusuf who died September 29, 2019.

Meanwhile, the INEC Chairman has assured Nigerians that the Commission is ready to conduct Saturday’s re-run elections which will hold in 28 constituencies across 11 states of the country.

According to INEC the rerun elections would not accommodate the substitution of candidates because the time for that had lapsed.

The INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who said the Commission was prepared for the polls disclosed this while swearing-in two newly elected state Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Mr Yakubu also explained that six of 28 re-run elections “28 involve the entire constituencies while the remaining 22 elections will be held only in some polling units.”

According to Prof Yakubu “the only constituency exempted in the substitution of candidates is Gamawa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State as well as Agwara State Constituency in Niger State where elections will be held without the candidates and parties that were declared winners in the general election.”

The INEC Chairman also assured Nigerians of credible elections adding that the commission will work with the security agencies to ensure adequate protection of election officials, accredited observers, and the media.

The elections will hold in one senatorial district in Akwa Ibom state, federal constituencies and 15 state assembly constituencies. In many instances, the elections will hold in only a few polling units.