INEC Reveals No of Parties To Participate in Edo Election
As the battle for Edo guber takes shape, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Edo State, Johnson Samikiem, yesterday, disclosed that 15 political parties have registered with the commission to contest the forthcoming governorship election slated for September 19.
The commissioner, who disclosed this at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, said the commission is well-prepared to conduct a hitch-free governorship election.
“Out of the 15 political parties, about nine would have, at the end of today, concluded their primaries and set for the election.
“Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered by the law to monitor any election in the state, hence my presence here today.
“So far, the process is very satisfactory in the sense that the conduct of the primary is in line with the electoral law and guidelines of the COVID-19 measures against the pandemic.
“The commission is ready and working hard to ensure the election is held in a peaceful environment,” he said.
On the plethora of cases in court, the INEC REC, said the cases would be decided by the courts, adding that INEC was committed to obeying court orders.
The REC said the commission has no challenges in preparation for the governorship election in the shortest time he was posted to the state.
Samikiem further explained that in order to ensure free and fair election, the commission had constituted an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) at the headquarters.
