Edo 2024: Outcome of election will reflect peoples’ choice — Prof Mahmood

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Friday assured Edo people that the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in the state will be a true reflection of the choice of voters in the state.

He disclosed this on Friday in Benin at a stakeholder meeting with the 17 political parties participating in the election.

Yakubu, who assured all parties in the election of a level playing field before, during, and after the election, however, urged them to play the game by the rule in order to ensure a peaceful election in the state.

He disclosed that the commission would be deploying additional machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in some areas, like Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo Local Government Areas, where he said he observed a shortage of machines during his Thursday’s inspection.

Responding to the call for the establishment of more centres for the CVR, as well as the issue of security at CVR centres and polling units during elections, Yakubu noted that the financial implications of deploying more staff and security personnel to each of the 4519 polling units in Edo would be too cumbersome for INEC to handle.

Speaking on the call for the introduction of an electric voting system in Nigeria, the INEC boss said that the law does not empower the Commission to conduct that type of voting, stressing that the ways and manners in which elections should be conducted are stated in the electoral act, 2022, as amended.

Yakubu, while also reacting to the agitation against the transfer of voters from one state to another, said, “We will continue to allow for the transfer of voters from state to state. It is their right to do so.”

The commission boss frowned at the situation where some political parties commissioned their agents to help them buy Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) from voters, apparently for the rigging of an election.

He said that in order to curb some of the anomalies identified during elections, INEC has continually introduced innovations like the BIVAs into the conduct of elections.

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