The Independent National Electoral Commission says it will start meeting with Edo and Ondo election stakeholders from May 30. The Edo governorship poll has been scheduled for September 19 and the Ondo version for October 10.
INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, revealed these in a statement on Thursday night after the body’s meeting where the “Policy on conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic” was approved.
According to him, INEC is planning for nine bye-elections in seven states in addition to the Edo and Ondo polls.
He said the bye-elections would hold in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Imo North Senatorial District, Plateau South Senatorial District, Cross River North Senatorial District, and Nganzai State Constituency, Borno State.
Others are Bayo State Constituency, Borno State, Nasarawa Central State Constituency in Nasarawa State and Bakori State Constituency in Katsina State
Okoye said, “Citizens must be assured that they will be safe while participating as voters, candidates and officials.
Also, a faction of the Edo State chapter of the APC loyal to the National Chairman on Friday claimed it had uncovered plans by the state government to scuttle the party’s governorship primary.
In a letter by the factional Secretary of the party in the state, Lawrence Okah, and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, the group, led by David Imuse, alleged that Obaseki had ordered the testing of “fictitious”300,000 persons for COVID-19 to announce fake positive results to use the development to scuttle the June 22 primary.
Okah said, “It has come to our notice that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has concluded plans to scuttle the primary election of the All Progressives Congress scheduled to hold on June 22. The pretext is that if held, the primary election will escalate cases of COVID-19 in Edo.”
