INEC Prepares for Ondo Governorship Poll with Mock Accreditation  

Embarking on the same hollow ritual, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has intensified preparations for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State by conducting a mock accreditation exercise.  The exercise, held on Wednesday, aimed to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).   INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, alongside the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, led the monitoring team across several local government areas, including Akure South, Akure North, and Idanre.   During the exercise, BVAS machines were deployed to polling units where eligible voters underwent facial recognition and other verification processes.  The test was conducted to ensure that the machines would function efficiently on election day.   With sensitive materials expected to arrive on November 14, INEC reassured the public of its readiness to conduct a smooth and transparent election.  The commission urged stakeholders, including political parties and candidates, to maintain peace and cooperate fully.   The mock accreditation exercise has been widely regarded as a critical step toward ensuring a seamless voting experience in Ondo State.

Edo 2024 Guber Update: Voting Begins Amid Tight Security

The 2024 governorship election in Edo State has officially commenced, marked by a significant security presence and varying reports regarding the arrival of INEC officials and voter turnout across different polling units.   INEC Officials Arrive Late at Some Polling Units At 7:43 a.m., INEC officials arrived at Unit 18, Oghede Ward 10, located at Oghede Secondary School on Ekenhuan Road in Egor Local Government Area. Despite the officials’ timely arrival, only a small number of voters were present at the polling unit.   In stark contrast, by 8:39 a.m., Units 7 to 10 in Ward 1 at Ezoti Primary School, Oredo Local Government Area, reported a large turnout of voters. However, INEC officials had not yet arrived. Security operatives were on-site to maintain order and ensure the safety of the gathering electorate.   Smooth Voting Process Amid Low Turnout By 8:51 a.m., voting commenced at Units 19 to 28, Ward 4, Emokpae Primary School in Oredo LGA, where the electoral process was proceeding smoothly. However, at Unit 41, Ward 4, located along Idahosa Lane on Mission Road, INEC officials were present but reported no voters at the polling unit. Staff expressed concerns regarding the absence of security personnel at this location.   Reports from Unit 36, Ward 4 at Evbiemwen indicated that by 9:11 a.m., both INEC officials and security operatives were present, yet voters had not yet arrived. A similar situation was observed at Unit 32, Ward 4, on Ero Street, Wire Road in Oredo LGA, where voting was ongoing under the watchful eye of security personnel, although turnout remained modest.   Continued Presence of Security Operatives By 9:30 a.m., INEC officials finally arrived at Unit 31, Ward 4, Azama Street on Wire Road in Oredo LGA. While security operatives maintained law and order throughout the polling units visited, voter turnout across these locations remained low.   Across all polling units monitored, there was a heavy presence of security operatives both within and around the voting areas, ensuring that the election process proceeded in an orderly and peaceful manner as citizens exercised their democratic rights.   There have also been few incidents of alleged vote buying by some party agents.   As the day progresses, further updates on voter turnout and election proceedings are anticipated.   Security Threats Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Asue Ighodalo has raised an alarm over security threats during the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Edo State. He alleged that the police had arrested a party member in Ward 8 Unit 3. “In Uromi unit 3, one of our supporters was arrested there about an hour ago by men in mufti carrying guns. Nobody should carry guns into a polling unit. That is against the law. But you just see people behaving indiscriminately, oppressing and trying to intimidate our folks,” he said.

Edo 2024 Guber: Impressive Turnout of Voters

The Edo 2024 gubernatorial election has witnessed an impressive turnout of voters across the state today, as residents turned out in their numbers to exercise their civic duties. By 7:15am when reporters visited polling units within ward 12, residents had trooped out early, signaling a strong desire to shape the future of Edo State. People with disability and octogenarians were given preference. Voting in most wards in Oredo LGA is going on smoothly, and the security situation in most polling units visited remain intact and under control. Several civil society organizations monitoring the elections, including YIAGA Africa and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), commended the peaceful conduct and the large turnout of voters. The Edo 2024 election is seen as a critical moment for the state, with three major political parties amongst others vying for the governorship seat in a race that will shape Edo’s political landscape for the next four years.

Sultan, Kukah seek community involvement in tackling security challenges

For those attempting to make a mountain out of mole hill, Mathew Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto has reminded them that, like the PDP candidate in Edo Gov elections, President Tinubu did not sign a peace accord as a presidential candidate in 2023. Kukah, one of the conveners of the National Peace Committee headed by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, made this known on Sunday in Benin City during the Edo Election Security Townhall. According to the clergyman, the committee can’t force any presidential candidate to sign the peace pact, which has become an electoral ritual in the last decade. Kukah asserted that the failure of political parties and their candidates to sign the peace accord sends a wrong signal to Nigerians, which the opposition can easily exploit. He said, “The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour. “If you go back to the 2019 election, the presidential candidate for the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And, of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign. “What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it. “It’s a pity, but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition.”

Police to deploy 35,000 personnel for Edo election

Furthering the usual routine which positive outcome remains to be seen, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced on Wednesday that 35,000 police officers will be deployed across Edo State for the September 21 governorship election. Additionally, 8,000 personnel from sister security agencies, including the armed forces and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), will be mobilized to support the police. He also confirmed that security aides assigned to VIPs will be withdrawn to ensure neutrality and security. Egbetokun stated this at the stakeholders meeting as part of activities ahead of the election organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where its chairman, Professor Mamhud Yakubu announced that former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar was already in town presiding over the signing of the peace pact between contending parties and their candidates on Thursday. The event had the representatives of the 17 participating political parties, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), representatives of the palace of the Oba of Benin, civil society groups and others. In his remarks, Egbetokun also said the suspension of the activities of quasi-security organizations like the Edo State Security Network (ESSN) and others set up by the state government to check insecurity remain suspended and that they have no role to play on the day of election. He said security aides attached to VIPs would also be withdrawn even as he reeled out the various election offences and warned that anyone caught against them would be treated according to the law. According to him, “It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that elections take place and trhe security of all is the responsibility of the police and it will be supported by other security agencies to ensure safety. We understand the importance of our role in this election and we will ensure that everything is done in compliance with that. “We will deploy sufficient personnel for the election. For the Edo state governorship election, we will deploy 35,000 personnel, there will be another 8,000 from other security agencies to complement us. We have undertaken several measures including a tour of hot spots, engaging stakeholders and operational visits and we will continuously engage all.” He said all entry and exit points in the state would manned while movements would be restricted between 6 am and 6 pm and urged the political leaders to warn their members against any form of violence.

2027 Election: Labour Party and Others self-destruct

Apart from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, other leading players at the last election except the ruling All People’s Congress seem to be imploding, all as a result of frenzied moves ahead of the 2027 general elections.   For instance, both the PDP and the Labour Party, the first and second runners up at the 2023 presidential election have been neck deep in internal wranglings for no specific reasons other than the machinations of greedy party members to self destruct in favour of an individual’s ambition to conquere power in 2027.   In an apparent redundant move the Labour Party has revoked the automatic tickets previously reserved for its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, for the 2027 election.   The decision was made during the party’s National Executive Council meeting held on Monday, September 9, in Abuja.   Following the meeting, the party’s National Working Committee, led by Julius Abure, announced that all party tickets, from the presidency to the House of Assemblies, would now be open to all qualified Nigerians.   In a communique signed by the National Chairman of the party, Abure, and National Secretary, Umar Ibrahim, the NEC nullified the decision taken at the stakeholders meeting convened by Otti.   The NEC insisted that there was no vacuum in the leadership of the party after “conducting its National Convention in line with its constitution, the Electoral Act and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on March 27, 2024.”