Tag: Inec

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Monday, August 19, that it will not allow proxy collection of Permanent Voters Cards ahead of the Edo governorship elections scheduled for September 21.

The chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this at a meeting to state Resident Electoral Commissioners said the refusal of proxy collection is to ensure that the cards do not end up in the wrong hands.

He also said that the register of voters for the Edo governorship election will be presented to representatives of political parties participating in the election on Tuesday, August 20 at the INEC headquarters in Benin.

He said: “It is important to emphasise that the Commission’s policy that PVCs must be personally collected by registered voters has not changed.

“The cards will not be distributed or collected by proxy so that they do not end up in the wrong hands. We urge voters who took their time to register during the CVR to also take time to collect their PVCs in person and, most importantly, to come out on Election Day and vote for the party of their choice.

“Still as part of our preparations for the Edo State Governorship election, the softcopy of the final and comprehensive register of voters will be presented to each political party fielding candidates in the election tomorrow Tuesday 20th August 2024 in our State office in Benin City.

“This is in fulfilment of item 10 of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election.

Aside from the Edo and Ondo State governorship elections, Yakubu said there are pending bye-elections to fill seven vacancies in the National and State Assemblies across six States of the Federation.

H said: “Following the conclusion of the last Continuous Voters Registration CVR) in Edo and Ondo States, the Commission published the figures of new registrants for the two States following the clean-up of the register.

“For Edo State, 119,206 new voters were registered. In addition, 8,847 voters transferred their registration from other States of the Federation to Edo State while 46,171 voters transferred their registration within the State i.e. from one part of the State to another.

“As provided by law, the Commission has updated the records of 4,808 voters that applied for correction of names, addresses or dates of birth from previous registrations and also replaced 5,406 lost or damaged PVCs.

“Put together, 184,438 voters of various categories were served by the Commission during the last CVR in Edo State. They will be issued new voters’ cards (PVCs).

“I am glad to report that all the cards have been printed and delivered to our office in Benin City. From there, they have been handed over to our Electoral Officers (EOs) for collection by voters.

“To ensure a seamless process, the cards will be available for collection in all the 192 Wards in the State where the last CVR took place from Thursday 22nd August 2024 to Monday 26th August 2024 from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily including the weekend.

“Thereafter, the collection will continue in our 18 Local Government offices across the State from Wednesday 28th August 2024 to Sunday 8th September 2024 from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, including the weekends. Detailed information on the dates and locations of the 210 centres (192 Wards and 18 LGA offices) has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.

“Furthermore, the Commission has developed a register containing, among other information, the names and photographs of the 184,438 voters to ease the collection of their PVCs. The register has also been uploaded to our website to facilitate easy identification and collection of the cards”.

Read Also: INEC: No discrepancies in 2023 presidential election results

He disclosed: “The Commission is working on the schedule for the collection of PVCs in Ondo State. Our attention is focused on the Edo State at the moment because the election is holding next month.

“I want to assure the electorate in Ondo State that action is being taken in respect of the availability of their PVCs for the governorship election holding in November this year. Very soon, the Commission will make available detailed arrangements for the collection of PVCs for all categories of voters from the recent CVR in the State.

He asleep media organisations seeking to cover the Edo State Governorship election to take advantage of the portal to upload particulars of their representative as the closes at 6.00 pm on Thursday 5th September 2024.

He said: “As of this morning, 63 organisations have uploaded the details of 584 personnel for accreditation for the election. We urge all interested organisations that are yet to apply to note the deadline and act accordingly.

“Already, the Commission has published the final list of candidates, accredited observers as well as polling and collation agents. At the end of the deadline for media accreditation, the list of organisations and accredited personnel will also be published for public information”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  has identified  possible interference of non-state actors and armed groups as one of its  major challenges ahead of the Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections.

 The commission feared they may want to disrupt the conduct of the elections.

 The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who raised the concern when he led National Commissioners to brief the National Peace Committee in preparation for the election, however, assured that security agents in the two states had assured of their preparedness to ensure peaceful elections.

Prof. Yakubu called on the National Peace Committee (NPC) to support the commission’s appeal to stakeholders in the electoral process to allow peaceful elections in Edo and Ondo states.

While appreciating the NPC for its contribution to peaceful elections, Prof. Yakubu noted that  since its debut and support for peaceful elections, the commission’s elections had become more peaceful than before. He urged the committee not to relent in its peace efforts.

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Speaking on preparations for the September and November elections in the two states, the INEC Chairman said the commission had successfully undertaken nine out of 13 activities outlined in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Elections, which was released in September last year.

He said the next activity, which is the 10th,  would be carried out on next Tuesday when the commission will present the Register of Voters to all the political parties fielding candidates in Edo State.

He said “All the activities that INEC is supposed to conduct have been conducted without hitches. Not one activity has been adjusted for one day. All these activities are going to coalesce on Election Day on the 21st September and the Election Day is beyond the responsibilities of INEC alone.  The political parties, observers, the media, the security agencies, and everybody have a role to play.

“The biggest challenge we have been facing in the management of elections is what happens on Election Day. That is why the role of the National Peace Committee becomes pertinent in terms of appealing to all the actors, as we build up to the election, during the election, and also after the election.”

Speaking on the Commission’s anticipated concerns ahead of the polls, the INEC Chairman once again raised the issue of the involvement of state-controlled security outfits, such as the Edo State Security Network, and possibly the Amotekun in Ondo state.

He, however, said that the Police in both states had given the assurance of their non-participation in the elections.

He also expressed concern over the activities of non-state actors and armed groups who are capable of disrupting the peace and electoral process before it is concluded in the two states.

Yakubu said the Commission had raised such concerns at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICESS) meeting held recently, and would continue to engage with security agencies to get responses on what action has been taken.

On the commission’s strategy to ensure that citizens in Edo and Ondo states are able to pick up their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the elections, the INEC boss affirmed that the commission had printed the PVCs for 119, 000 new registrants and voters that made transfer requests or applied for replacement of lost or damaged cards.

He said: “The total number of PVCs printed is 184,000 for all categories, and I am happy to say that all the cards have arrived in Edo State since Monday. They are currently being sorted out by local government, ward, and polling unit.”

The INEC Chairman said personalised messages will be sent to the new registrants to pick up their PVC, adding that the list of all new registrants in Edo State will be published on the commission’s website by next week, to enable voters to check for where to collect their cards.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed fresh claims of discrepancies between the results on its website and those presented by returning officers at the National Collation Centre, which were broadcast live during last year’s presidential election.

The commission, in an August 15 letter to the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ), said there were no contradictions whatsoever in the results.

The CCIJ had claimed finding some discrepancies between the election results announced by INEC and the uploaded results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV).

The commission, in the letter signed by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said that there were are no “differences” in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states.

INEC also maintained that the total number of polling units and registered voters remained as announced by the commission.

The commission said that it “does not announce election results on YouTube” adding that  the 2023 presidential election results were announced at the National Collation Centre, Abuja, in the presence of stakeholders, including the media.

“You listed three YouTube video links from Channels Television, showing the interactions between the State Returning Officers of Imo, Abia, and Zamfara states and the INEC Chairman at the National Collation Centre, Abuja.

“It is important to note that the Returning Officers of the 36 States of the FCT are required to present their presidential election result individually to the Chief Returning Officer of the Federation for the Presidential election, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who is also the INEC Chairman.

Oyekanmi said:“But contrary to your observations, there were no contradictions in the video clips.

“In conformity with the established procedure, the Returning Officer, in each clip, announced in descending order, the total valid votes, rejected votes, total votes cast, cancelled votes (if any), the specific areas where such votes were cancelled, and where the election did not hold with reasons.

“Party agents were subsequently allowed to make observations or raise objections after each announcement, but there was none in all the video clips.”

Besides,the commission said  the centre neither disaggregated nor  articulated its data in the other listed examples-Imo, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Cross River, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Zamfara states.

It said:“For instance, in Edo, you gave the following account: 185 PUs, 111,683 Registered Voters (Election Papers), PUs (YouTube) 54, Registered Voters (YouTube) 36,264; Difference: 131 Pus/75,419 Registered Voters.

“However, the Presidential election was conducted in 176,606 PUs, spread across 8,809 Wards in 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

“Supplementary elections were also held in 23 States on April 5, 2023 for various reasons captured under chapter 11 of the Report of the 2023 General Election.

Read Also: INEC releases final list of Voters in Edo, Ondo

“To that extent, we need to know the State, Local Government Area (LGA), Ward and specific polling unit being referred to for proper evaluation of your enquiries and to enable us to provide the required information.

“Unfortunately, the precise information necessary to address your enquiries was missing.

INEC, however, insisted that there were no differences in the number of polling units and registered voters in the listed states.

It said that the total number of polling units and registered voters remains as announced by the commission.

It stated that the result of an election may be cancelled for specific reasons, including violence, over-voting and refusal to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as stipulated in the extant laws.

“At the same time, the conditions for making a return when the result of an election is cancelled or declared null and void in specific polling units have also been explained in the Electoral Act 2023 and the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections (2022).

INEC added that its comprehensive 468-page Report of the 2023 General Election officially released in March 2024 and immediately uploaded to its website  www.inecnigeria.org, already provided answers to the raised questions by the centre.

It advised the centre to read the full details on its website www.inecnigeria.org.

“The results of the 2023 Presidential election presented by our 36 State Returning Officers and the Returning Officer for the FCT at the National Collation Centre, Abuja are official and authentic.

“The figures quoted in your letter purportedly from some local government areas in Imo State are inconsistent with the details/results presented publicly by the Imo State Returning Officer at the National Collation Centre, Abuja.

The commission pledged to continue to improve its processes and procedures after every election.

The centre relying on Freedom of Information Act in its letter dated Aug. 7 sought INEC clarification on “discrepancies between the election results announced on YouTube by INEC compared with the results from the election papers uploaded into IREV.”

The centre alleged that “overall, in the broadcasted announcements, INEC reported 1,578 polling units (PUs) where voting was canceled because of irregularities.

“No figures were given for the reason, though officials cited over voting, violence and other irregularities. The total registered voters were about 1,205,000 voters.

It alleged that in the documents filed in IREV, INEC polling workers reported 2,203 polling units (Pus) where voting was canceled because of irregularities.

“Violence was the leading reason, covering about half of the polling stations affected. The total registered voters was about 1,221,000 voters,” the centre alleged among others.

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed petitions by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr.Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) alleging malpractices during the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, August 6, released the final figure of registered voters innEdo and Ondo States ahead of the September 21 and November 11 governorship elections in the two states. 

The final figure showed that 2,629,025 persons registered to vote in Edo state, while 2,053,061 registered to vote in Ondo state. 

A statement by the national Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun said out of the figure, students constitute 868,764 and 694,938 in Edo and Ondo respectively. 

While saying that a break down of the figure local government by local government has been uploaded in the Commission’s website, the Commission said it will announce the date for collection of permanent voters cards in the next few daysm

The statement reads: “The Commission met today, Tuesday 6th August 2024, and approved the final register of voters for the Edo and Ondo Governorship elections. The register integrated new voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as well as the figures of successful applicants for transfer from other States of the Federation to the two States.

“The state now has 2,629,025 registered voters. Of this figure, 1,370,061 (52.11%) are male while 1,258,964 (47.89%) are female. Youths (18 – 35 years) account for 983,133 (37.4%), followed by 914,806 middle aged (36 – 49) persons. Together, they constitute 1,897,939 (72.2%) of registered voters in the State. 

“In terms of occupation, 868,764 students constitute the majority of voters (33.05%). There are 4,199 (0.16%) Persons with Disability (PWDs).

“The new register represents 4.9% increase over the 2023 General Election figure of 2,501,081.

“Ondo State now has 2,053,061 registered voters. Of this figure, 1,034,006 (50.36%) are male while 1,034,964 (47.89%) are female. Youths (18 – 35 years) account for 726,944 (35.41%), followed by 721,982 (35.17%) middle aged (36 – 49) persons. Together, they constitute 1,448,926 (70.57%) of registered voters in the State. 

Read Also: INEC registers 119,206 in Edo, 58,708 in Ondo

“In terms of occupation, 694,938 students constitute the majority of voters (33.85%).  There are 1,782 (0.09%) Persons with Disability (PWDs).

“The new register represents a 3.0% increase over the 2023 General Election figure of 1,191,344.

“The datailed breakdown of the register for each State by Local Government Areas, gender, age, occupation and disability has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.

“In the next few days, the Commission will release the timetable for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for the two States for all categories of voters including new registrants from the last CVR, voters that applied for transfers, replacements and uncollected cards from previous registrations.”

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday about 177,914 voters would be added to the list of eligible voters for the off cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states later in the year.

A figure released by the commission showed about 92,098 out of 269,992 citizens that showed up for the exercise did not meet the requirements for registration during the exercise and were screened out of the register.

A statement said the final list of eligible voters and date for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the two states would soon be made public.

The statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the figure did not include 8,847 applications for transfer into Edo State and 3,132 into Ondo State from other states ‘’because they are already part of the voters register.

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Before the Continuous Voter Registration, which ended on June 9 ahead of the elections in the two states, there were 2,501,081 registered voters in Edo State out of which, 2,128,288 collected their PVCs.

Similarly, Ondo State had 1,991,344 registered voters, out of which 1,729,641 collected their PVCs.

The statement further said: “Nigerians may recall that in our statement on June 11, we released preliminary figures of newly-registered voters for the coming Edo and Ondo states governorship elections before the period for claims and objections, followed by the cleaning up of the data, using Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). These processes have been concluded.

“The number of new voters for Edo State is 119,206 and 58,708 for Ondo State. These figures do not include 8,847 applications for transfer into Edo State and 3,132 into Ondo State from other states.

“Similarly, they do not include applications for transfer within the two states because they are already captured in the register of voters.

“The figures of the new voters and inter-state transfers are being integrated into the existing register. In the next few days, the commission will release a comprehensive and final register of voters to be used for the 2024 governorship election for each of the two states.

“Meanwhile, analysis of new voters for Edo and Ondo states indicating their distribution by local government areas, gender, age, occupation and disability has been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.”

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said yesterday that it was concerned about the safety of lives and property before, during and after the off cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

Speaking at its quarterly consultative meeting with media executives, he said the recent incident in Edo State leading to the death of security personnel was worrisome.

Yakubu said although there had been no report of any further security breach in the state after the incident, the commission had scheduled a meeting with leaders of the security agencies to discuss security concerns in the run off to the conduct of the two elections.

He said: “Campaign by political parties and candidates is in full swing in Edo and Ondo states. The commission finds the recent event in Edo State resulting in the death of a security personnel worrisome.

“Happily, there has been no incident known to the commission since then. Nevertheless, the commission will meet with the security agencies as early as Friday this week under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue for discussion at the meeting.

“We are as concerned about the safety of your personnel and equipment just as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, service providers and, above all, the voters. We will also work with the security agencies to ensure accredited journalists are granted unimpeded access to all voting and collation locations.’’

Read Also: Edo/Ondo elections: We are concerned about safety of lives, property, says INEC

Yakubu added: “As the Edo State governorship election approaches, I wish to remind media organisations that the portal for media accreditation (https://imap.inecnigeria.org) is still open. As at 8.02am today, Wednesday 31st July 2024, 24 media organisations representing print, radio, television and online have uploaded the details of 227 personnel for the election.

“I urge you to expedite action by ensuring interested media organisations submit their applications before the deadline of Thursday 5th September 2024. This will enable the commission produce and deliver the accreditation tags for your reporters, camera operators, technical and other support workers in good time for the election.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has recovered from the recent flood disaster that damaged some facilities at the Benin office of the commission.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated this during the commission’s regular quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja on Monday.

Yakubu said in 53 days to the state governorship election holding on Sept. 21, INEC preparations were going on in earnest.

“I am glad to report that we have recovered from the torrential rainfall that resulted in the severe flooding of our state headquarters in Benin City two months ago.

“The damage to the physical infrastructure has been fixed. Vehicles have been repaired while other movable and immovable facilities have been serviced, refurbished or are being gradually replaced.

“We have delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to Edo State for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for Election Day support,’’ Yakubu said.

He also disclosed that INEC had amended the list to the published final list of candidates for the state election following recent Court Order mandating INEC commission to replace the running mate of the Labour Party’s candidate.

Yakubu also urged political parties participating in the election to ensure to meet up with the deadline in uploading  the details of their agents for Edo election to enable the commission to produce their accreditation tags on time.

“As at yesterday, Sunday July 28, fourteen political parties have uploaded the details of 38,354 polling agents and 819 collation agents for the Edo State Governorship election.

“Three parties are yet to upload a single polling agent while five parties have not uploaded a single agent for Ward, Local Government and State collation centres.

“The deadline is tomorrow Tuesday July 30 when the portal automatically shuts down at midnight,’’ he said.

Yakubu advised party leaders to demonstrate compliance with the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022, in their campaigns for Edo and Ondo governorship election.

“The campaign period has often been characterised by acrimony and tension. Sadly, it is also a period of verbal abuse and physical confrontation among parties, candidates and their supporters.

“The Commission finds the recent event in Edo State resulting in the death of a security personnel worrisome. Happily, there has been no incident known to the Commission since then.

“Nevertheless, the Commission will meet with the security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

“ I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue for discussion at the meeting.

“We are as concerned about the safety of your candidates, agents and supporters as well as about the security of our own officials, observers, journalists, service providers and, above all, the voters,’’ he said.

Yakubu  said that the final voter register for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States being finalised would be published before the end of the week.

He said that thereafter, the timetable for the collection of uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) would be published.

Yakubu also said that date for the conduct of bye-elections in Oyo , Kaduna and four other states would soon be announced.

In his remarks, IPAC Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, pledged the council’s commitment to work with INEC for voter sensitization and the conduct of credible polls in Edo and Ondo.

Dantalle said there was no substitute for free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful poll.

“The success of this (Edo) election along with Ondo’s will go a long way in restoring trust in the democratic process essential for enduring representative governance.

“Once we get our elections right and credible leaders emerge, there will be drastic reduction in elections petitions and litigations,” he said.

Dantalle urged citizens to close ranks, and imbibe issue-based campaigns and participate in making Nigeria elections transparent and accept the will of the people expressed in their votes.

He said the era of do-or-die politics and vote trading was over.

“As INEC continues to improve on its various technologies that will enhance electoral integrity, Nigeria will regain its past glory as the great arsenal of democracy in Africa.

“To achieve this, IPAC strongly advocates for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission to prosecute electoral offenders to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to tow this path of dishonour,” he said.

Dantalle reiterated the council’s call for the scrapping of States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and the empowerment of INEC to conduct all local government elections.

Read Also: Edo/Ondo elections: Political parties must play by the rule – INEC chair

“Politics is local, citizens should be encouraged to actively participate in grassroots politics and contribute in building a better society.

“In this vein, IPAC calls for the amendment of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to empower INEC to conduct all Local Governments polls.

“Council rejects the proposed bill by the Senate to create the so-called Local Government Independent Electoral Commission, bearing in mind that it would be another SIEC in disguise.

At the meeting were party national chairmen, including APC National Chairman, Ganduje, and APGA National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku, who was attending the meeting for the first time after his recognition by INEC.

(NAN)