The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that sensitive materials for the September 21 Edo governorship election will arrive in the state next week.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this at the pre-election stakeholders meeting in Benin City, the Edo state capital, also said the sensitive materials will be warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Yakubu reassured the stakeholders that INEC was ready for the election and said the commission was deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for voter accreditation at polling units and for uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
He said: "On the part of INEC, active preparations for the election started last year with releasing the
Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election as required by law.
Overall, 13 statutory activities were listed, beginning with the publication of the Notice of Election and ending with Election Day.
"As you can see from the timetable for the election, the commission has so far implemented 11 out of the 13 activities on schedule. As of today, we have only two outstanding activities. These are the last days of the campaign by political parties, which, according to law, ends 24 hours before the date fixed for the elections, i.e. at midnight on Thursday, 19th September 2024 and Election Day on Saturday, 21st September 2024.
"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 with 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 participating in the 2024 Edo State Governorship election. The updated list of parties and candidates is in the information booklet circulated at this meeting.
"Following the conclusion of the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo State and the cleaning up of the data, 184,438 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were delivered to Edo state.
"In the next few days, the commission will publish the detailed breakdown of PVCs collected for each of the 4,519 Polling Units across the State. Meanwhile, all uncollected PVCs will be mopped up from the 18 Local Government Areas and warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria until after the Governorship election.
"As you are aware, the election is a multi-stakeholder activity. INEC has a role to play, but stakeholders must complement it. The 2024 Edo state governorship election is not just a national election but also of global interest.
"I want to assure you that the accreditation tags for all categories of stakeholders are ready. We will announce the date and venue for collection in the next 24 hours. Similarly, election duty vehicle stickers are available for collection from our Edo State office in Benin City."
Yakubu stated that in INEC's various engagements with stakeholders at the national level, they underscored the importance of providing security during the election to guarantee their safety, the protection of equipment and unimpeded access to voting and collation locations.
He said the commission, in turn, conveyed the concern to the security agencies at the last meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCESS) at the national level, and the relevant agencies have given the necessary assurance of security during the election.
"Let me reassure stakeholders that INEC is ready for the election. We are deploying the BVAS machines for voter accreditation at polling units and uploading 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 technology deployment to safeguard the election's credibility. 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 configured for voter accreditation and uploading results distinct from those used for mock certification and training.
"For next week's 2024 Edo state governorship election, 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 arranged to deliver sensitive materials for the election to Edo state early next week. We will invite political parties and other stakeholders to inspect the materials at the Central Bank here in Benin before the delivery to the local government areas. We are leaving no stone unturned in our preparations for the election, always in consultation with the stakeholders," he added.
In his remarks, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said 35000 police personnel, complemented by another 8000 operatives from other security agencies, would be deployed for the Edo governorship election.
The police boss declared that all suspended local security outfits in the state remained banned and should not approach the polls.
Egbetokun said the management of election security was solely the responsibility of the Nigerian police force and other national security agencies within the ICCES) and warned that any individual or group engaging in unauthorised security functions would face immediate arrest and prosecution.
The Inspector General of Police warned all potential troublemakers contemplating disruptive actions to abandon such intentions.
"In this election, the police will be deploying 35,000 personnel, complemented by over 8,000 armed forces members and other security agencies.
The security forces will not tolerate any form of political thuggery, violence or hooliganism. Any attempt to undermine the electoral process will be met with swift and decisive action.
"Moreover, I would like to emphasize that the management of election security is solely the responsibility of the Nigerian police force and other national security agencies within ICCES. This responsibility does not extend to local security entities or non-state actors.
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"I hereby direct all local security apparatus within Edo state to refrain from interfering with election security functions. Individuals or groups engaging in unauthorised security functions will face immediate arrest and prosecution. In this regard, the activities of the Edo State Security Corps, which has been suspended, remain suspended until further notice.
"Movements of persons and vehicles will be restricted from 6am to 6pm on the election day. All orderlies and escorts to VIPs are withdrawn on the eve of the election, with alternative security arrangements provided for.
"As in the past elections, the police is the lead security agency, supported by other national security agencies who will join us in ensuring the safety and security of the electoral process.
"We will safeguard the electoral process by ensuring the safety of personnel and property, including equipment that will be deployed in this election.
"We will ensure strict compliance and enforcement of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the Police Act 2020, and the Criminal/Penal Code, among others.
"We will provide a conducive environment for the peaceful conduct of credible elections. Our approach to election security is grafted on the principles of neutrality, professionalism and enforcement of human rights," he stated.
