Revealed by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday, approximately 1,766 election observers from 78 diverse observer groups could miss out on monitoring the off-cycle governorship elections in Edo state on September 21.
The commission is preparing to release the final list of voters and the total count of registered voters for the Edo election.
During a routine quarterly meeting with civil society organizations in readiness for the Edo and Ondo elections, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the national chairman of INEC, disclosed that as of July 29, 2024, only 56 organizations had uploaded the list of 894 observers to the INEC portal.
The chairman of INEC reminded them that the portal for observer accreditation will automatically close at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, July 31.
Prior to this, the commission had reported that 134 organizations, comprising 124 local and 10 international observer groups, had applied to oversee the elections in Edo and Ondo states.
Yakubu stated, “It is now 52 days until the Edo State Governorship election on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Our preparations are well underway. I am pleased to announce that we have recovered from the severe flooding of our State Headquarters in Benin City caused by heavy rainfall two months ago.”
He continued, “The necessary repairs and replacements of damaged physical infrastructure and facilities are in progress. Additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines have been dispatched to Edo State for the training of election personnel and as contingency support on Election Day.”
“We have complied with the recent Court Order by publishing the final list of candidates, including the replacement of the running mate for the Labour Party candidate. The revised list is now available on our website.”
“Following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration, the display of the register for citizen claims and objections, and further data cleansing using the Automated Biometric Identification System, the final register for the upcoming Governorship elections is nearing completion.”
He further commented, “This week, the commission will publish the final statistics of new voters in both states, categorizing them by gender, age, occupation, and disability. Subsequently, the schedule for collecting unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards from previous registrations and new registrants from the latest CVR will be released. We rely on your collaboration to encourage citizens to collect their PVCs.”
“Before the Edo State Governorship election, I implore CSOs to submit their observer lists by providing the required details and photos through the designated portal.”
“As of Monday, July 29, 2024, 56 organizations had uploaded information about 894 observers for the Edo State Governorship election, constituting 33.6% of the expected 2,660 observers. The deadline is Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 6 pm when the portal closes automatically. It is essential to meet the deadline for the Commission to issue accreditation tags for timely distribution to your observers.”
“Moreover, certain organizations have not only responded promptly but have also requested additional observer slots for deployment in the two states. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, considering the organization’s past experience, size, capability, and adherence to election observation guidelines and code of conduct.”