From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has called on the National Peace Committee (NPC) to lend its voice and appeal to all actors and stakeholders in the electoral process to ensure that there is peaceful conduct of Governorship elections in the states of Edo and Ondo scheduled to hold next month and November this year rather than to cause violence.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the call on Friday being 16th August 2024 when he led a delegation of the National Commissioners to attend a briefing organized by the National Peace Committee (NPC)in Edo state.
This was contained in the Commission’s Bulletin on Saturday indicated that Professor Yakubu provided a detailed update on the Commission’s preparations for the two upcoming off-cycle elections, which are set to take place in 34 days in Edo and 90 days for Ondorespectively.
The National Peace Committee (NPC), chaired by General Abdulsalam A. Abubakar (Rtd), GCFR, a non-governmental organisation established in 2014 in response to the challenges posed by the 2015 general elections.
The committee which comprised of distinguished elder statesmen is dedicated in promoting free, fair, and credible elections as well as addressing critical national issues through high-level mediation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
While commending the Committee for its role in fostering peaceful elections, Prof. Yakubu acknowledged that since the Committee began its peacekeeping efforts, elections have become more peaceful than in the past.
He urged the National Peace Committee to remain steadfast in its commitment to promoting peace.
Speaking on the preparations for the upcoming September and November elections, the INEC Chairman stated that the Commission has successfully completed 9 out of the 13 activities outlined in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the elections which was released last year September.
He also revealed that the next scheduled activity, the 10th in the sequence, will take place on Tuesday next week when the Commission will present the voter register to all political parties fielding candidates in Edo State.
According to him, “All the activities that INEC is supposed to conduct have been conducted without hitches, not one activity has been adjusted for one day, but all these activities are going to coalesce on Election Day on the 21st and the Election Day is beyond the responsibilities of INEC alone. The political parties, observers, the media, the security agencies, and everybody has a role to play.”
He continued: “And that is 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 appeal to all the actors, as we build up to the election, during the election, and also after the election.”
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 potentially the Amotekun in Ondo State. However, he clarified that the Police in both states have assured the Commission that these groups will not participate in the elections.
Another potential area of concern he expressed was the activities of non-state actors and armed groups, who have the potential to disrupt the electoral process and disrupting the peace in the states. However, he assured that the Commission had already raised these concerns with the security agencies during a recent Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting and would continue to engage with them to receive updates on the actions being taken.
Prof. Yakubu also outlined the Commission’s plan to ensure that citizens in Edo and Ondo States have the opportunity to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the elections. He noted that the Commission has printed PVCs for 119,000 new registrants, as well as for those who requested transfers or applied for replacements of lost or damaged cards.
“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,” he disclosed.
Further discussing the PVCs, the INEC Chairman mentioned that personalized messages will be sent to new registrants to pick up their cards. He also announced that the register of all new registrants in Edo State will be published on the Commission’s website by next week, informing individuals to check and verify where to collect their cards.
Members of the NPC present at the briefing include; the Chairman, General Abdulsalam A. Abubakar (Rtd); its Convener, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah; His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Professor Ameze Guobadia; Dame Priscilla Kuye; General Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd) CFR; and Professor Ibrahim Gambari CFR.
