INEC Sets Sept. 12 for Edo Election Peace Accord Signing

INEC Sets Sept. 12 for Edo Election Peace Accord Signing

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled Sept. 12 for the signing of the Peace Accord ahead of the Edo State Governorship election. The event will take place in Benin City and will be led by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former Head of State.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed this during an extraordinary meeting with political parties in Abuja on Thursday. He emphasized that holding the peace accord earlier than usual will allow the Peace Committee to ensure that political actors, security agencies, and INEC itself uphold their commitments in the days leading up to the election.

“This proactive step will strengthen the peace accord and ensure compliance beyond mere ceremony, responding to concerns raised by both observers and political stakeholders,” Yakubu said.

He urged political parties to conduct peaceful campaigns and comply with INEC’s guidelines, noting that no party had submitted their campaign rally schedules to the commission for better coordination.

Regarding election preparations, Yakubu confirmed that INEC had trained security personnel, finalized logistics arrangements, and nearly completed printing the voters’ register for all 4,519 polling units in Edo. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines are ready, and observer accreditation is in progress.

Yakubu, however, flagged compliance issues regarding polling and collation agents, despite INEC’s support for political parties in the digital nomination process.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, urged INEC to remain neutral and ensure that election materials, particularly the BVAS and IReV portals, are in top condition for the poll. He also called on political parties to run issue-based campaigns and avoid violence.

Dantalle stressed that the Edo governorship election is a critical test for future polls in Nigeria, urging all stakeholders to safeguard the democratic process.