INEC has just
announced that Edo governorship elections will hold on Saturday,
September 10, as earlier planned. The agency made this announcement
using Twitter.
Our earlier report on the subject:
Nigeria’s election umpire, the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has decided to go ahead
with the Edo governorship elections slated for Saturday, September 9,
2016, an inside source says.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian police and
the country’s secret police, the Department of State Security Service,
the DSS called for the postponement of poll, in the midst of heightened
tension in the southern state ahead of the elections.
The security agencies cited ‘security concerns” in their call, delivered via a brief press briefing in Abuja.
“INEC will soon release a statement to
formally confirm that the election will hold on Saturday as scheduled,” a
source told our reporter.
Stakeholders involved in the elections had been in an emergency meeting with INEC and security agencies since Wednesday.
Mahmoud Yakubu, the chairperson of INEC told members of the press the meeting in Benin, the Edo State capital, that an official statement would be made on Thursday, September 8, 2016.
“I said when we met earlier today
(Wednesday) that out of the 14 activities outlined for the conduct of
the Edo election, based on the calendar and schedule of activities, we
successfully concluded 12 of the activities.
“Only two are outstanding – end of
campaign, which is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday), and then, the
election, scheduled for Saturday. As far as the commission is concerned,
we have taken every step necessary for the success of Edo election on
September 10.
“But towards the end of the meeting, the
news broke that the security agencies are advising the commission to
consider postponing the election because of the credible evidence of
threat available to the security agencies.
“The commission will return and take a
decision and this will be communicated. We have consulted with you just
as we need to consult with the security agencies to find out more and
then, take a decision thereafter.
“Whatever the case, the commission will take a decision swiftly and communicate it to the Nigerian public,” Yakubu said.
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