INEC urges security agencies to monitor campaign activities to curb violence in Edo election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged security agencies to monitor campaign activities in the September election in Edo to prevent violence in the state.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting in Abuja.

This was made in preparation for the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

Yakubu urged the security agencies to ensure that outgoing governors refrain from using their power of incumbency to deny opposition parties and their candidates access to public facilities, especially during campaign gatherings.

The Honorable Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Commission's members continued today with its quarterly consultative meeting with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee On Election Security (ICCES) in preparation for the #EdoDecides2024 and #OndoDecides2024… pic.twitter.com/h8djS4fLzH

— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) May 16, 2024

At the meeting, Yakubu reiterated that “these actions, including the mutual destruction of campaign materials and facilities, violate the provisions of Sections 91 to 97 of the Electoral Act 2022.”

The security agencies must ensure the enforcement of the law, Yakubu said.

However, in other related meetings, the commission has engaged stakeholders in Edo and Ondo states, advocating for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

The CVR is scheduled from Monday, May 27th, 2024, to Wednesday, June 5th 2024.

According to the Acting Director of Voter Registry, Mr Tunde Gafar, “Registration process is based on following provisional guidelines,” he stated during a meeting with stakeholders in Akure, Ondo State.

Mr Gafar highlighted the guidelines: “Registration is done in person and not by proxy: Anyone who qualifies to register must appear ‘in person’ at the registration centre for registration.

“Multiple registration is not allowed: a voter can only register once in one registration Centre. If the voter resides in multiple constituencies, they must choose only one location to register.

Registration is a pre-requisite for voting in an election,” he stated.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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