By Mercy Onyenweli
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State, yesterday, said a total of 52, 013 persons registered for the just concluded Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise that took place between the month of June 2021and January 2022 in the state while 32, 465 were successful, 19,548 was dropped due to double registrations amounting to 37 percent of the entire exercise.
Mr. Timidi Wariowei, in charge of Voter’s Education, disclosed this during a Media and Stakeholders Summit with the theme: Roadmap to Credible, Transparent and Peaceful Election in Edo State, organized by the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
He said the number dropped after being subjected to Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) where it was discovered that some individuals registered twice.
Wariowei said the figure was one of the least compared to other states where similar thing was done.
Wariowei also said that INEC through their own determine efforts to make elections seamless in the state has created more polling units, increasing it from 2,627 to 4,519.
He further appealed to Journalists in the state to cooperate with the commission to ensure peaceful and credible elections in the state just as he asked them to desist from the temptation of being the ones to announce election results while on election monitoring exercise.
He said a Journalist can quote a figure being displayed by INEC officials at the polling units but cannot declare any candidates winner noting that it is the sole responsibility of INEC to do that.
Speaking also, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Abutu Yaro, represented by ACP, Head of Operations of the Command, James Chu, said citizens of the state must check their excesses as they plan towards the forthcoming elections adding that the country belongs us and thus must not set it on fire by their actions.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Festus Alenkhe urged Journalists to be guided by the Electoral Acts and avoid any acts that will jeopardize the country.
He also called on the law enforcement agencies to see Journalists as partners in progress and should not brutalize them while doing their job as the union has an internal mechanism in handling any Journalists that is found wanting.
In a similar development, the Edo State cordinator for Vote Not Fight Campaign, Comrade Uwa Ashetu Edekor advised Politicians/Electorates to eschew violence and hate speech as the electioneering campaign commences.
She added that those who participated in the last INEC registration should endeavour to go out to INEC designated areas to pick up their PVCs as that is the only means to participate in the upcoming election.
She however said that Vote Note Fight Campaign is moving across the state to ensure the upcoming election is violent free.
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