By Lucky Isibor
Ahead the Edo State governorship election slated for Saturday, 21 September, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) observing the election have tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on timely delivery of election materials to polling units to forestall delays in commencement of polling.
Representative of YIAGA Africa, Mr. James made the call at an interactive session with INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu and the commission’s Edo governorship election management team and members of Civil groups observing the election at the Edo headquarters of the commission on Friday, 13 September.
“INEC should review its internal processes in terms of logistics to get election materials to polling units in time”.
The CSOs also suggested the repetition of election in all the polling units where election results were councelled as a result of violence so as to discourage the perpetuation of violence at polling units during elections.
While assuring the election observers of a hitch free Edo governorship election on 21 September, the INEC chairman pointed out that the commission has deployed over 19,000 vehicles and river crafts to transport election materials to designated centres, adding that over 20,000 adhoc staff will be mobilised to conduct the election.
Yakubu who commended the CSOs for their continuous engagement with the commission which according to him has led to improvement in the electoral process, pointing out that the electoral materials are rapped in water proof polythene materials to protect them from being destroyed by water, adding that all sensitive materials will be dispatched from Benin City to the various Local Government Areas starting with the farthest.