Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that it is fully prepared to conduct a free and fair poll in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.
Making the pledge on Tuesday at the Commission’s head office in Benin was the Supervising National Commissioner for Edo, Delta and Cross River State, Professor Rhoda Gumus, as the Commission handed over the updated Edo State voters register to officials of the political parties.
Professor Gumus in her submission appealed for synergy between the INEC and political parties so that the election could be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere saying “INEC and the political parties are in the same boat. If it sinks we will all sink.”
She assured that the Commission, baring unforeseen circumstances, is fully prepared for the conduct of the election. That a successfully conducted governorship election in Edo State would be the pride of all and sundry.
Professor Gumus also hinted the Commission as part of its ideal of test running the electoral process will be conducting a mock accreditation ahead of the election day at a date to be announced later. She appealed to the parties to mobilise voters to collect their PVCs as without it nobody can vote.
Earlier, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC), Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, disclosed that there are 13 major activities towards the conduct of the poll and the handing over of the voters register to the parties is number 10 on the list.
He stated that the Commission have executed nine activities seamlessly with the support of the critical stakeholders, adding “we have done a lot. You will also recall that recently we did Continous Voters Registration(CVR). When we started that exercise some of you were pessimistic that they will not get the card. But to the glory of God that card has been printed and given to us. The national body of the Commission has given us those cards.”
Onuoha disclosed that the cards will be issued to their owners where they registered adding that the voters numerical strength would be measured on the total number of voters cards that are collected by the owners.
A mild drama played out in the course of the handing over of the copy of the updated voters register to the party officials as the officials of the Labour Party (LP) were not recognised as a result of the split in their ranks. Rather, the Commission handed over the copy to the party’s flagbearer in the election, Barrister Olumide Akpata.
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