The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today tasked Civil Society Organisations to mobilise citizens in Edo and Ondo states for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection ahead of the commencement of the exercise in both states.
The Commission also charged accredited observer groups to comply with the Code of Conduct for election observation, warning that non-compliance could result in the revocation of their accreditation.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the call during the third quarterly consultative meeting with Civil Society Organisations, held at the INEC Headquarters Abuja, on Tuesday 30th July 2024.
Prof. Yakubu who provided an update on preparations for the Edo governorship election, also informed the CSOs that before the week runs out, the Commission will publish the final figures of new voters in the two states and their distribution by gender, age, occupation and disability.
He said, “thereafter, the timetable for uncollected PVCs from previous registration and the recent one in both states will be published. We look forward to your partnership in encouraging citizens to collect their PVCs.”
On the need to adhere to the code of conduct for election observation, Prof. Yakubu said: “I wish to remind you of your obligation as observers to comply with the objectives of election observation and the Code of Conduct contained in the Commission’s rules of engagement for accredited election observers.
“A concise summary is contained in the 22-page document titled: “Briefing for Observers” available on our website www.inecnigeria.org.” He warned:  “I wish to reiterate that the Commission reserves the right to revoke the accreditation of any individual observer or observer group that violates Code of Conduct for election observation.”
The INEC Chairman further reminded accredited observers to meet the deadline for submission of their list of observers. His words: “I wish to remind CSOs to submit the list of your observers by uploading the required information, including photographs, to the dedicated portal. As of yesterday, Monday 29th July 2024, 56 organisations have uploaded the details of 894 observers for the Edo State Governorship election representing 33.6% of the expected 2,660 observers.
“The deadline is Wednesday 31st July 2024 when the portal automatically shuts down at 6pm. I urge you to ensure that you meet the deadline so that the Commission can produce the accreditation tags and deliver them to you for distribution to your observers in good time.”
Prof. Yakubu assured accredited observer groups of security in Edo and Ondo states, stating that the Commission will meet with the security agencies on Friday this week under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to discuss the issue. “We are as concerned about the safety of candidates, agents and supporters as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, journalists, service providers and, above all, the voters, he said.
He also announced that dates for bye-elections will soon be announced for vacancies already declared in four states, involving three state constituencies and one federal constituency.
Responding on behalf of the CSOs, Dr. Gabriel Nwambu of the Centre for Credible Elections, appreciated the Commission for its openness and willingness to always engage the CSOs. He commended the Commission for overcoming the damage caused by flood in the Edo office and the cleanup of the Register of Voters ahead of the two off-cycle elections.
Dr. Nwambu pledged the support of the Civil Society towards the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in both states.
