The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Saturday, allayed the fears of some people that the Edo governorship election might be declared inconclusive.Yakubu said if the voters could comport themselves before, during and after the election, there would be no reason why it would not be conclusive.
He said, “The commission had been preparing for the Edo governorship election since March this year.
“We have also deployed over 18,000 electoral staff and all the needed materials for the election. Everything was set until the the police and the DSS advised that we should postpone it.”
He insisted that the commission did not plan to fail while preparing for the rescheduled Edo State governorship election.
He said this was evident in the commission’s preparation since February when it announced the date for the election.
The chairman of the commission, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, added that 12 out of the 14 activities which would lead to the conduct of the election had been carried out.
The commission had moved its personnel to Edo State in preparation for the election before the Department of State Services and the police advised it to postpone the election due to the “unfavourable security situation in the state.”
There were, however, fears that the election could end as inconclusive, taking into consideration the outcome of many elections which the commission had conducted in recent times.
INEC’s Deputy Director, Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Nick Dazang, added that the rescheduled election, which would now hold on September 28, would only be conclusive if devoid of disruption and destruction of materials.
Dazang told our correspondent that the commission was planning to hold meetings with stakeholders in the state before the election.
He said, “For the election to be conclusive, it will be a function of whether the process takes off peacefully and ends peacefully without distraction and destruction of materials.
“That is when we can be talking of a conclusive election. Meanwhile, we have been working with security agencies in order to have a conclusive election.
“We are appealing to the people to bear with us because of the shift in the date. There are people who have rescheduled their activities like their weddings and other social activities. They should bear with us.”
The commission denied the insinuations in some quarters that it was being controlled by the Presidency.
Nigerianeye
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