Edo 2024: INEC Reports Preparedness, Media Interest as Election Approaches

By Iyojo Ameh

With only 51 days remaining before the Edo State Governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu highlighted significant preparations during the third regular quarterly consultative meeting with media organizations, held today at the INEC Conference Room in Abuja.

Prof. Yakubu reported that approximately 227 media personnel have expressed interest in covering the election.

Following severe flooding that recently impacted the Benin City headquarters, Prof.

Yakubu announced that the Commission has made substantial progress in addressing the damage. Repairs and replacements of affected infrastructure and facilities are underway, and additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines have been dispatched to Edo State in preparation for the election.

The Commission is in the process of finalizing voter registers for the governorship elections. Final figures for new voters, including demographic details, will be published by the end of the week. A timetable for the collection of uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) from both previous and recent registrations will also be released shortly.

Prof. Yakubu underscored the critical role of media partnership in promoting PVC collection and stressed the importance of accurate and ethical reporting. He urged media organizations to adhere to the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and INEC’s media accreditation guidelines, available on their website.

The Chairman reminded media organizations that the accreditation portal (https://imap.inecnigeria.org) remains open, urging all interested entities to complete their applications by September 5, 2024, to ensure timely issuance of accreditation tags.

As political campaigns in Edo and Ondo States continue, Prof. Yakubu expressed concern