Edo, Ondo gov’ship: Submit your voters register, mode of primaries, INEC tells parties

Ahead of Edo and Ondo state governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told political parties to inform the commission on the mode of primary it wants to adopt and to also submit the list of its registered members ahead of the exercise.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, gave the advice on Monday at the first virtual consultative meeting with leaders of the 18 registered political parties.

INEC said that during the elections in Edo and Ondo states, scheduled for 19th September 2020 and 10th October 2020 respectively, face masks would be made compulsory for voters, electoral officials and everyone else at all election locations as parts of measures to protect electorates, election officials and other stakeholders from COVID-19.

Yakubu told the party leaders who have adopted direct primaries to present the register of members to be used for the election from ward to local government and state levels to INEC.

According to the INEC boss, for indirect primaries, the parties must also avail the commission the delegates list ahead of the election.

Yakubu said the Monday meeting is the first time that the commission is holding its regular consultative meeting with leaders of political parties via tele-conferencing and that INEC will deepen the use of technology in the nation’s electoral process, including the conduct of elections.

He recalled that on 6th February 2020, the commission released the timetable and schedule of activities for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections and that as of today (Monday), it is exactly 110 days to the Edo Governorship election scheduled for 19th September 2020 and 131 days to the Ondo Governorship election holding on 10th October 2020.