National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu and the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, have reassured stakeholders that INEC and the Police are ready for the Edo State governorship election slated for Saturday, September 21st.
Addressing stakeholders at a meeting on Wednesday, Professor Yakubu stressed: “We are deploying the BVAS machines for voter accreditation at polling units and for the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. Only yesterday, we conducted mock accreditation in 12 polling units across six local government areas in the three senatorial districts of the state.
“The purpose was to test-run our deployment of technology to safeguard the credibility of the election. I am glad to report that the mock was successful and the result can be viewed on the IReV portal. But let me also quickly add that the machines used for the mock accreditation and the training of officials will not be used on Election Day.
“We have sufficient machines for the election which have been configured for voter accreditation and the upload of result distinct from those used for mock accreditation and training.”
Going further, he averred: “For the 2024 Edo State Governorship election holding next week, INEC has been open and transparent about our processes. We engaged several times with stakeholders at the national level and here in Edo State.
“We have made every information about the election available to Nigerians. We have published the list of candidates, the number of registered voters and the number of PVCs collected. We have made available the locations of voting and collation centres across the State.”
He urged political party leaders to continue to restrain their supporters from violence and other disruptive conduct, adding “the best way to do so is by the personal example you set as political parties and candidates both in your campaign speeches and action.”
In his own submission, the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, said that “free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy. While it’s the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that election take place in a conducive environment. The task of securing the electoral process rests squarely with the police.
“As it’s in the past elections the police will be supported by other national security agencies who would join us in ensuring the safety and security of the electoral process demonstrating our collective commitment to a peaceful and credible election.”
He affirmed that the activities of local security outfits have been banned and remained banned indefinitely, charging voters to troop out to voting centres on the election day to carry out their civic responsibilities without let or hindrance.
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