The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday expressed concerns about the political tension in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

Yakubu said INEC would be meeting with security agencies to address the concerns.

The INEC Chairman, speaking at the quarterly meeting with political party leaders in Abuja, on Monday, called the attention of the stakeholders to the recent attack on the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Edo State, which led to the death of a security officer.

He said with 53 days until the Edo election, some political parties had still not submitted the list of their polling and collation agents, adding that the portal would close on Tuesday (today).

Speaking on deadlines, the INEC chairman said only 14 political parties had uploaded details of the polling agents and collation agents for the Edo election.

He announced that three parties had yet to upload a single polling agent, while five parties had not uploaded agents for ward, LG and state collation centres.

“As of yesterday, Sunday, 28th July 2024, 14 political parties have uploaded the details of 38,354 polling agents and 819 collation agents for the Edo State governorship election.

“Three parties are yet to upload a single polling agent while five parties have not uploaded a single agent for ward, local government and state collation centres. The deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday 30th July, 2024 when the portal automatically shuts down at midnight. I urge you to ensure that you meet the deadline so that the commission can produce the accreditation tags and deliver them to you for distribution to your agents in good time.”

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He called for compliance with stipulated rules and guidelines to ensure a smooth process.

“Campaign by political parties and candidates is in full swing in both Edo and Ondo states. This is the time for party leaders to demonstrate compliance with the commission’s regulations and guidelines for political parties, especially the aspect dealing with rallies, processions, and campaigns already available on our website.

“As a reminder, however, hard copies of the document have been included in your folders for this meeting. The campaign period has often been characterised by acrimony and tension. Sadly, it is also a period of verbal abuse and physical confrontation among parties, candidates, and their supporters.

“The commission finds the recent event in Edo State, resulting in the death of security personnel worrisome. Happily, there has been no incident known to the commission since then. Nevertheless, the commission will meet with the security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

“I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue to discuss at the meeting. We are as concerned about the safety of your candidates, agents, and supporters as we are about the security of our officials, observers, journalists, service providers, and, above all, the voters,” he said.

Speaking on the preparation for the election, the INEC chairman said, “It is now 53 days to the Edo State governorship election coming up on Saturday, 21st of September 2024.

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“Our preparations are going on in earnest. I am glad to report that we have recovered from the torrential rainfall that resulted in the severe flooding of our state headquarters in Benin City two months ago.”

The INEC chairman revealed that additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines had been provided to Edo State to train election duty personnel and for contingency support on election day.

He continued, “The damage to the physical infrastructure has been fixed. Vehicles have been repaired while other movable and immovable facilities have been serviced, refurbished or are being gradually replaced.

“We have delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines to Edo State for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for Election Day support.

“We have since published the final list of candidates but we are once again sharing the list with party leaders at this meeting, given the recent court order mandating the commission to replace the running mate of the candidate of the Labour Party. The amended list is already published on our website.”

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Yakubu added that after completing the Continuous Voter Registration process, the register was displayed for claims and objections from citizens.

He explained that data clean-up was performed using the Automated Biometric Identification System and the final register for the 2024 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states is currently being completed.

“Before the end of this week, the commission will publish the final figures of new voters in the states as well as their distribution by gender, age, occupation, and disability.

“Thereafter, the timetable for the collection of uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards from previous registration and new registrants from the latest CVR will be published.

“The commission is aware that according to our timetable and schedule of activities, the voter register will be published no later than 30 days before the date fixed for the election.

“We wish to reassure the chairmen of political parties that each party fielding candidates in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State will receive the softcopy of the register on August 20, 2024, while that of Ondo State will take place on October 15, 2024,” he said.

The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, said as a key player in the political process, IPAC remained steadfast in its commitment to ensuring electoral integrity.

He said the organisation was dedicated to upholding the sanctity of the ballot box, respecting the will and mandate of the people, and promoting political stability and the well-being of Nigerians.

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Dantalle stressed that IPAC’s efforts were focused on maintaining the credibility of elections and supporting the democratic process to benefit the entire nation.

He called for the immediate scrapping of the States Independent Electoral Commissions as a way of deepening democracy in the country.

“The charade called elections SIECs conduct is an aberration, dent and mockery of our emerging democracy; a waste of taxpayers’ money that ought to have been channelled to developmental projects.

“To restore confidence in the electoral system, INEC should be empowered to conduct all LG elections. Politics is local, citizens should be encouraged to actively participate in grassroots politics and contribute to building a better society.

“In this vein, IPAC calls for the amendment of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to empower INEC to conduct all LG polls. Council rejects the proposed bill by the Senate to create the so-called Local Government Independent Electoral Commission, bearing in mind that it would be another SIEC in disguise.

“It is unacceptable, ill-conceived, another electoral jamboree that will impede the nation’s democracy and waste public funds at a time when citizens demand a smaller government to reduce the cost of governance,” the IPAC chairman said.

Speaking on the elections in Edo, he said: “For the Edo State governorship election, the die is cast. There is no substitute for a free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful poll.

“The success of this election along with Ondo’s election will go a long way in restoring trust in the democratic process essential for enduring representative governance.

“Flawed elections that produced incompetent leaders are the remote cause of economic stagnation, political upheavals, and socio-religious disharmony in the polity, as the imposed leaders seek personal interests in place of national interest,” he added.

PUNCH