INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu
The Independent National Electoral Commission says the candidates participating in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State will sign a peace accord on Tuesday.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu , made this known during a briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 in Abuja on Thursday.
Mahmood also said about 17, 000 ad hoc staff would be recruited for the election , noting that the PTF guidelines and safety measures would be strictly obeyed as the commission was going to operate a ‘ no face mask , no voting policy’ at the poll.
It had earlier been reported that the electoral umpire released a list of 14 political parties and candidates that would contest the election .
Governor Godwin Obaseki , who is seeking re -election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party; and Osagie Ize -Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress are major contenders in the election .
Worried about the recent spate of violence in the state amid the ongoing electioneering , the Oba of Benin , Ewuare II , held a peace meeting with the two candidates last week.
When asked to give his assurances that there would be no violence in the state, the INEC boss, said , “ I can only assure you of the efforts that we are making to ensure there is no violence.
“ A couple of weeks ago , we were in Benin City. What did we go there to do? First to speak with officials of INEC . And I invited the electoral officers from all the 18 local government areas to our meeting.
“ Thereafter, I had an engagement with the representatives of all the security agencies in Benin, from the Police to the SSS to the Security and Civil Defence , even the Prison Service and the Fire Service.
“ We had an enegagement with the State COVID -19 Response in Benin… And then , we visited his majesty, the Oba of Benin . At that meeting , his majesty promised us that he was going to invite some of the candidates in the election and speak to them on the importance of peaceful conduct and I am happy to say that he did that.
“ But in addition, I carried a message to his royal majesty from the National Peace Committee led by our respectable former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar .
“ The National Peace Committee just like INEC and every conscientious Nigerian is also concerned about the fear of violence in elections . The National Peace Committee is organising the signing of a high- profile peace accord in Benin on Tuesday next week.
“ So , we leave for Benin this weekend. We will hold a stakeholders ’ meeting with all the candidates and parties , civil society groups, the media, everybody , on Monday . Then , on Tuesday, we will now witness the signing of the peace accord .
“ I hope that this efforts that we are making will lead to the kind of outcome that we are talking about . ”
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