Edo Guber: INEC Urges 1,766 Election Observers To Fast Track Accreditation Exercise

ABUJA – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on 1,766 election observers to endeavour to meet tomorrow deadline on the accreditation exercise ahead of the Edo State Governorship poll.

INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu who spoke during the quarterly meeting with civil society organizations in Abuja hinted that 78 observer groups might miss the opportunity to monitor the exercise.

Assuring that INEC would soon release the final list of voters and the total number of registered voters for the Edo poll, he stated that as of the end of July 29, 2024, only 56 organizations have uploaded a list of 894 observers on the INEC portal.

The chairman reminded stakeholders that the portal for observer accreditation will automatically close at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, July 31.

The commission announced that approximately 134 organizations, including 124 local and 10 international observer groups, applied to monitor the elections in both Edo and Ondo states.

The INEC chairman stated: “There are now 52 days until the Edo State Governorship election on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Our preparations are progressing well. I am pleased to report that we have recovered from the severe flooding caused by torrential rainfall at our State Headquarters in Benin City two months ago.”

The physical infrastructure, along with both movable and immovable facilities, are being repaired or replaced. We have also delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to Edo State to support the training of election personnel and to ensure contingency support for Election Day.

In compliance with the recent Court Order, the Commission has published the final list of candidates, including the replacement of the running mate for the Labour Party candidate. The updated list is now available on our website.”

“Following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process, the register has been displayed for citizens to make claims and objections. Subsequently, further data clean-up has been carried out using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). The final register for the upcoming governorship elections is now being finalized.”

“At the end of this week, the Commission will release the final figures for new voter registrations in the two states, including detailed breakdowns by gender, age, occupation, and disability. Following this, we will publish the timetable for collecting uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) from previous registrations, as well as those from the latest Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). We look forward to partnering with you to encourage citizens to collect their PVCs.

“As of Monday, July 29, 2024, a total of 56 organizations have submitted details for 894 observers for the upcoming Edo State Governorship election. This represents 33.6% of the anticipated 2,660 observers. Please be reminded that the deadline for submission is Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 6 pm, when the portal will close automatically. To ensure timely production and distribution of accreditation tags for your observers, please complete your submission before the deadline.

“Also the Commission acknowledges that while some organizations have promptly responded, others have requested additional observer slots for deployment across the two states. Each request will be evaluated individually, taking into account the organization’s previous experience, size, capacity, and adherence to the guidelines and code of conduct for election observation.”

Prof Yakubu asked the civil society groups to intensify advocacy for peace.

According to him, “The Commission is pleased to report that there have been no known incidents since our last update. However, we will be convening with the security agencies on Friday this week, under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), to discuss and review ongoing security measures.”

“I want to assure you that the security situation in Edo and Ondo will be a key topic of discussion at the meeting. We are deeply concerned about the safety of candidates, agents, and supporters, just as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, journalists, service providers, and, most importantly, the voters.”

“At the same time, I would like to remind you of your duty as observers to adhere to the objectives of election observation. Please ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct outlined in the Commission’s rules of engagement for accredited election observers.”

“A concise summary is provided in the 22-page document titled “Briefing for Observers,” available on our website at www.inecnigeria.org. Please note that the Commission reserves the right to revoke the accreditation of any individual observer or observer group that breaches the Code of Conduct for election observation.

“Turning to the issue of bye-elections, you may recall that at our last meeting, the Commission informed you of the existence of vacancies in four States, involving three State Constituencies and one Federal Constituency.

“Since then, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has declared two additional vacancies due to the passing of the members representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency in Oyo State and Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency in Kaduna State. The Commission will announce the dates for the by-elections in due course.”