Ahead of next month’s off-season governorship elections in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest would not in any way affect its preparations for the exercise.

The Commission gave the assurance on Sunday.

Speaking with Tribune Online in an exclusive chat, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, urged candidates and stakeholders in the electoral process not to entertain any fear over the ongoing protest.

He noted that the protest has been peaceful in Edo State where the election would hold as there was no breach of peace so far.

Restating his assurance that the Commission was on top of logistics for the election, the CPS to the INEC Chairman revealed that nine out of the 13 activities on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election have been executed successfully.

He said:” The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not entertain any fear over the possibility of the ongoing protest affecting the conduct of the Edo Governorship Election, scheduled for 21st September 2024. The election will hold as planned.

“The organizers of the protest have given a pledge that it will be peaceful. And so far, in Edo State where the governorship election will hold, we’ve not heard of any significant breach of peace. Our state office has not received or experienced any threat so far.

“Our preparations are on course. Out of the 13 activities on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, we have successfully carried out nine. The 10th activity, which is the official publication of the Register of Voters for the election, will take place on 20th August. Campaigns by the participating political parties are ongoing, and we are ready to act anytime we receive any complaint from any of them. Our duty is to provide a level playing field and we are determined to do that.

“We have commenced training and re-training of our staff. All the equipment needed for the election are being put in place to ensure a smooth process. Of course, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed for accreditation of voters and uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day.

“But for the protests, we would have held the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting on last Friday to discuss the current security situation in Edo and Ondo States. But the Commission will announce a new date for the meeting this week.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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