Edo Poll: INEC assures of credible election, okays mock accreditation

The Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has expressed satisfaction with the mock accreditation exercise in Edo State, confirming the commission’s readiness to conduct a free, fair, and credible governorship election in the state.

“We intended to test run the integrity of our systems ahead of the election and those for voter registration as well as the upload of the results to the IREV portal. 

“So, we have observed and so far so good, in terms of readiness of our local government offices for the election and also the technology that we are deploying for the election, everything is in perfect condition,” Yakubu said.

Yakubu gave the assurance during an on-the-spot assessment visit to three local government areas where the mock accreditation took place. 

He noted that the commission has done its best to ensure a smooth election process and urged the electorate to come out en masse to vote for their preferred candidate.

“INEC is not a political party, therefore, we don’t have a candidate in this election. The responsibility for choosing the governor of Edo State is entirely in the hands of Edo voters and our assurance to all the registered voters in the state is to troop out to vote for the party of their choice and the candidate of their choice. 

“The commission will always protect the integrity of the person and uphold the choice made by the electorate,” Yakubu said.

The INEC chairman also appealed to stakeholders, including security agencies, political parties, candidates, observers, and the media, to contribute to the success of the poll. 

He assured that the commission has enough backup systems in place to ensure the integrity of the process.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal to other stakeholders including the security agencies, the political parties, the candidates, the observers and the media to contribute to the successful conduct of the poll. We have enough backup. 

“For instance, all the machines used for the mock in 12 polling units across three senatorial districts in Edo state will not be used for the election. This is an off-cycle election, we have enough systems to go round. So, I want to assure you that the integrity of the process is protected,” he added.