The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has promised to be ready for the big vote in Edo State on September 21. This vote is to choose a new leader for the state.
Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, the boss of INEC, made this promise in a meeting on Wednesday in Benin. He asked everyone involved to work together to make sure the vote is fair and honest.
Yakubu explained that they always have this kind of meeting before big elections. Usually, the INEC boss and the head of police talk to everyone together.
He said the goal of the meeting is to talk with political parties, candidates, people watching the vote (called observers), the media, and others about how they are getting ready for the vote.
“The police boss will talk about keeping everyone safe during the election. I will talk about what we at INEC have done to prepare. After that, we’ll answer any questions or concerns you might have,” Yakubu said.
Yakubu shared that INEC started getting ready for this election last year. They made a plan and a list of what needs to be done, as the law says they should.
There are 13 steps to follow leading up to the election day. So far, INEC has finished 11 of those steps.
He said that after a recent voter registration drive in Edo, they sent out 184,438 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). These are important cards that people need to vote.
He explained that this number includes 119,206 new voters and 65,232 people who moved to a new place, needed new cards, or had other changes.
Yakubu also announced that now there are 2,629,025 people registered to vote in Edo State. This means a lot of people will be able to participate in choosing their new governor.