Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, gave stakeholders in Edo assurances yesterday over the commission’s preparedness for the governorship election scheduled for September 21.
Yakubu urged Benin’s stakeholders to work with the commission to guarantee a legitimate election.
Yakubu mentioned that the conference was customarily called on the eve of significant off-cycle governorship elections and that Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, and INEC chairman would both speak.
He clarified that the goal was to communicate about election preparations with accredited observers, political parties, candidates, the media, and other interested parties.
According to the INEC chairman, the organisation began actively preparing for the election last year when it released the program of events and timetable as required by law.
He revealed that there were thirteen statutory tasks, starting with the publication of the election notice and concluding on election day. Eleven of the thirteen activities, he added, had already been completed.
“We have already published the final list of candidates. However, there are two adjustments to the list.
“By court order, the commission has replaced the running mate to the candidate of the Labour Party.
“Similarly, the National Rescue Movement (NRM), which could not file its nomination on schedule, has obtained a court order to compel the commission to include the party on the ballot.
“We have complied with the court order. Consequently, 18 political parties are now participating in the 2024 Edo state governorship election,” he stated.
The commission had previously declared, according to the chairman, that 2,629,025 people in Edo State are currently registered to vote.
About 45,000 security guards will be stationed, according to Egbetokun, to oversee the poll.
This is on top of the roughly 80,000 additional security guards that are recruited from other sister security organisations.
The IGP revealed that local security groups functioning within the state will not be permitted to participate in election-related tasks.
The Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) oversees the Nigerian Police, which is the only agency with the authority to supervise election security, according to the police chief. The Police operate in tandem with other national security agencies to carry out this responsibility.
Potential troublemakers thinking about causing disruptions during the election should give up their plans after Egbetokun threatened to arrest and prosecute any individual or group involved in unapproved security functions before to, during, or following the election.
