Nigeria’s Electoral Umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said all measures have been put in place for the smooth conduct of Off-Cycle election in Edo State, Southern Nigeria slated for 21st September, 2024.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, Mr. Sam Olumekun, represented by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity Mery Nkem, outlined activities the commission would be engaged in to ensure free and fair polls during a press briefing organised for the Commission’s Press Corps in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The Director said the media briefing became necessary looking at the media’s crucial role in shaping democracy and appealed to Journalists to avoid fake news that can disrupt the peace and unity of the nation, “the media is not just a conveyer of information but also a vital player in the democratic process, particularly during elections as we are now.”
” Your work influences public perception, informs voter’s decision and upholds the integrity of the electoral process. This engagement is in no doubt timely as preparations for the conduct of the off -circle governorship elections in Ondo and Edo States are at hand. Preparations have reached an advanced and critical stage due to the importance placed on the role of the media in elections.”
Up-coming activities
The director listed a number of activities lined up by the commission to ensure the success of the polls in Edo state on 21 September 2024. “The Commission is concluding arrangements with the land and maritime transport unions for logistics. The printing of triplicate copies of voters’ register for each of the 4,519 Polling Units in Edo State is virtually completed. The installation and configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to be deployed on Election Day is completed. Observer and accreditation tags are being produced as well.”
Olumekun further announced that “On Tuesday 10th September 2024, the Chairman of the Commission will lead other members of the management team to monitor the Mock Accreditation of voters in selected Polling Units in Edo state to test-run the deployment of BVAS for the election as well as the upload of scanned polling units, results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.”
Peace agreement
He said “On Wednesday 11th September 2024 in Benin City, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu will chair the INEC Stakeholders meeting involving the Police I.G and all relevant stakeholders in Edo state, and on Thursday 12th September 2024, the signing of the Peace Accord by candidates will take place under the supervision of the National Peace Committee chaired by former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar”.
Highest standard
In his response, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi said the commission has left no stone unturned in its effort to guarantee that the Off-Cycle elections would be conducted with the highest standard of integrity.
Mr Oyekanmi said election results can be submitted by the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BIVAS, even at a place where there is no network, and once it is restored the results would be automatically uploaded to the INEC server.
In his response the Independent National Electoral Commission Press Corps Chairman Mr. Segun Ojumu, commended the effort of the Commission for availing Journalists covering the commission the opportunity to share their experiences during the previous elections and proffer some suggestions to enhance the credibility of the Edo governorship election.
During the interactive session some Journalists raised concerns regarding the BIVAS and filling out of results sheets and called on the Electoral umpire to address such challenges for free and fair elections to prevail in the country.
Lateefah Ibrahim
