Politics
INEC Worries Over Pre-election Violence In Edo

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.
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Politics
FULL LIST: Borno Tops In Voter Online Pre-registrations

Borno State has recorded the highest number of voter online pre-registrations nationwide as of Week Nine, according to newly released data from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday.
Out of a total of 8,003,196 Nigerians who completed the pre-registration process, Borno accounted for 826,130 entries, the highest figure recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Osun State follows with 646,580 pre-registrations, while Lagos is next with 604,819. Kebbi registered 581,135, slightly ahead of Kaduna, which recorded 510,490. Ogun is close behind with 510,062, and Kano comes next with 421,941. Kogi also posted high numbers, registering 361,233, while Zamfara and Yobe followed with 304,065 and 292,714, respectively.
Jigawa added 284,384 pre-registrations, with the FCT recording 228,264. Oyo followed closely with 224,713. Katsina registered 205,933, while Sokoto and Nasarawa posted 209,392 and 183,519, respectively.
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Bauchi recorded 181,671, ahead of Delta, which registered 160,188. Kwara contributed 142,084, followed by Cross River with 119,773 and Ekiti with 114,244.
Imo State recorded 109,245 pre-registrations, with Niger adding 107,153 and Gombe logging 103,150. Plateau followed with 93,963, while Rivers and Adamawa registered 82,840 and 80,556, respectively. Taraba posted 65,684, Akwa Ibom 60,638, Benue 53,747, and Bayelsa 52,957.
At the lower end of the table, Enugu registered 25,541 voters, followed by Ondo with 17,618, Ebonyi with 13,979, Edo with 11,570, and Abia with 11,221, the lowest figure in the country.
Also, INEC announced that a total of 1,710,450 voters have completed their CVR nationwide as of week eight, combining both online pre-registration (956,566) and physical registration (753,884).
READ ALSO:Acting INEC Chair Outlines Preparations or Anambra Poll
In accordance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC confirmed that registration activities in Anambra State remain suspended until after the governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.
Until recently, states in the South-West, particularly Osun, Lagos, and Ogun, had consistently led the CVR process since the exercise commenced on August 18, 2025.
However, recent data indicated an uptick in participation from northern states, especially Borno and Kebbi, amid renewed mobilisation campaigns.
It was reported that community-based organisations, religious leaders, and local officials in several northern states intensified sensitisation efforts to boost awareness and encourage eligible residents to register.
Politics
Tenebe Fingers Edo APC Chieftains As Plot To Replace Him As Chair Thickens

Plot to replace Jarrett Tenebe as State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State is gathering momentum going by series of social media posts shared by Tenebe, as monitored by our correspondent.
It was gathered that Senator representing Edo North at the red chamber, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Regional Development, Hon. Abubarkar Momoh, are not keen to support Tenebe’s re-election as Edo APC Chairman.
Tenebe’s absence at last week’s empowerment programme of Senator Oshiomhole gave credence to the cold war in Edo North APC.
However, as the plot to remove Tenebe gathered moment, the Edo APC chair, it was gathered, is fighting back following suspension of Etsako East Ward 9 Chairman of the party, Mallam Adamu Ototobor, who is a loyalist to those opposing Tenebe’s return as APC Chairman.
READ ALSO:By-elections: Edo APC Tackles PDP Over Call For REC, Others Redeployment
The cold war amongst the Edo APC bigwigs became evident when Tenebe, in series of social media posts, made allusion to the plot to replace him as Edo APC Chairman by accusing Momoh of scheming to take control of the Edo APC by working with a ‘dangerous click’.
Tenebe had said in one of his posts: “Minister of Regional Development, Hon Abubakar Momoh, I have led the party to the best of my ability, I can as well leave the party to you and your dangerous click, there is already a place in history for people like me.” (Sic)
The APC chairman further posted: “I supported you during your House of Representatives election when you were rigged out by this new click.
“If that was a crime, just know that there is a place for people like me and I know that was why I helped you.
“I encouraged people from other political parties who lost their ways to swell our fold in APC. If that’s my crime, Abubakar Momoh, I will leave the party for you and your new click, just know I am fulfilled.
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“In this party, I have lent a voice to those who cannot speak; I have fought for the oppressed, possibly the reason why Momoh and his ‘usl…’ click wants me out.
“During the last local government council organised by Governor Godwin Obaseki, I traveled with my team on canoe, which could have capsized but this time, Abubakar Momoh was moving from one air condition office to his air conditioned home with his family.
“Today all is set, Jarrett is no longer capable, him and his ‘usel…’, wicked click wants me out. I will leave so that peace will reign.”
Momoh, in his reaction, said Tenebe should be allowed to exhaust himself, adding that he would not join issues with the Edo APC chairman.
Politics
Okpebholo’s Eight-year Tenure Non-negotiable, Says Commissioner

Edo State Commissioner for Youth, Honourable Charity Amayanvbo, has said that Governor Monday Okpebholo’s eight-year leadership mandate is non-negotiable, describing his administration as one that has rekindled hope and unity among Edo people.
Amayanvbo made the statement in Benin City during a courtesy visit by Comrade Kelly Okungbowa, popularly known as Ebo Stone, founder of the Youth for Youth movement.
According to the Commissioner, both the Binis and Edo youths are solidly behind Okpebholo, whose leadership style, he said, has restored dignity to traditional institutions and reaffirmed respect for the revered Oba of Benin Kingdom.
READ ALSO:Stop Using Edo Money For Federal Roads, Residents Tell Okpebholo
“Governor Monday Okpebholo has restored the confidence of the people in government. He has brought back dignity to our traditional institutions and rekindled the hope of Edo youths. His eight years in office are non-negotiable,” Amayanvbo asserted.
The Youth commissioner commended the governor for what he described as “unprecedented infrastructural strides, especially in Edo South, citing major projects such as the Ramat Park Flyover, the Second Flyover at Adesuwa Road, and the ongoing statewide road rehabilitation as clear evidence of visionary leadership.”
He also lauded the governor for restoring the authority of the Benin Traditional Council and for his bold call to the Edo State House of Assembly to investigate the Mosium for West Africa (MOWA) projects — a move Amayanvbo described as “transparent and accountable governance in action.”
READ ALSO:Okpebholo, Idahosa Bag UNIBEN Distinguished Service, Leadership Awards
Comparing Okpebholo’s performance with that of his predecessor, former Governor Godwin Obaseki, Amayanvbo remarked that Okpebholo had “done what a Benin man could not achieve.”
He urged Edo youths to rally around the governor, pledging continued support for his developmental vision aimed at building a greater Edo State.
In his response, Comrade Kelly Okungbowa (Ebo Stone) hailed Hon. Amayanvbo for his fatherly leadership and reaffirmed his movement’s loyalty to the Governor.
He pledged to mobilize Edo youths to deliver a 2.5 million-vote bloc in support of both Governor Okpebholo and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assuring that the Youth for Youth movement would stand firmly behind the Governor’s “non-negotiable mandate.”
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