INEC Gives Ultimatum To CSOs On Election Observation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told civil society organisations (CSOs) that they must submit reports from previous accreditation as required by the commission in order to continuously participate in election observation.

INEC said since its meeting with CSOs two months ago, many accredited observers have submitted their reports but a few are yet to do so. The commission therefore urged the defaulters to turn in the reports as they are important for the Commission in reviewing and improving its processes and procedures.

The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this during the second regular quarterly consultative meeting with CSOs at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

Yakubu urged the CSOs to submit their applications for election observation in earnest along with the required supporting documents and a realistic number of individual observers for the September 21 Edo Governorship election.

He said doing so will enable the commission to produce and deliver the identity cards for observers in good time, stressing that INEC will not entertain requests outside the deadline for the receipt of applications from interested observer groups or process applications that do not meet the criteria.

The INEC chairman informed the CSOs of the commission’s decision to resume the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the Edo and Ondo States from May 27 to June 5, 2024 ahead of the September 21 and November 16 governorship polls respectively.

Yakubu appealed to CSOs to join INEC in mobilising prospective registrants for the exercise, particularly on the need to register early and not wait until the deadline approaches when the registration centres will be inundated by eleventh hour registrants.

He reiterated that no Permanent Voter’s Card (PVCs) will be collected by proxy hence registered voters should come in person to collect their cards and sought the support of CSOs in encouraging voters to locate and pick up their PVCs as it was done in the past.