'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the accreditation of 44,687 agents for the upcoming Edo State Governorship Election. The commission, in a press statement released today, provided a detailed breakdown of the number of polling and collation agents submitted by political parties participating in the election.
The press release, signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner & Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, highlighted the technological advancements in the accreditation process. Since 2020, INEC has utilized dedicated online portals for the accreditation of observers, media, polling, and collation agents, replacing the manual process. This streamlined approach required political parties to upload the necessary information, including photographs, of their agents.
For the Edo Governorship Election, which will be held in September 2024, the portal for agent accreditation opened on July 17 and closed at midnight on July 30, as outlined in the election timetable and schedule of activities released in September 2023. Edo State has 4,519 polling units and 211 collation centres, including 192 ward centres, 18 Local Government centres, and the State collation centre in Benin City. Political parties fielding candidates were expected to nominate a total of 4,730 agents each, resulting in a cumulative expected figure of 80,410 agents from the 17 participating parties.
However, only 44,687 agents were uploaded to the portal, representing 55.6% of the expected number. This total includes 43,043 polling agents, 1,452 ward agents, 179 Local Government agents, and 13 State collation agents. Notably, three political parties successfully uploaded the details of their agents for all levels of polling and collation, while one party failed to submit any agents.
The commission has made a summary of the submissions by political parties available on its website and social media platforms for public information.
The accreditation of agents is a crucial step in ensuring the transparency and integrity of the electoral process. As preparations for the Edo Governorship Election continue, INEC remains committed to conducting a free, fair, and credible election.
