PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has called on all stakeholders in the upcoming Edo State governorship elections to conduct themselves peacefully and respect the democratic process.
The President’s call was contained in a statement on Friday, September 20, signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In the statement titled ‘President Tinubu urges peace and civility in Edo State governorship elections.’ the President appeals to the governorship candidates, political parties, and supporters to respect the democratic process and the people’s will.
The President said he believed in the voters’ ability to make informed decisions about their future leaders.
“President Tinubu emphasises that democracy thrives on civility, tolerance, patience, and respect for the rules of the game.”
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for committing to a free and fair process and lauded candidates for focusing on key issues like livelihood improvement and economic growth.
He urges INEC to remain impartial and avoid any actions that could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.
The President also expressed his confidence in the professionalism and integrity of security agencies.
Tinubu urges Edo people to remain peaceful during voting and resolve disagreements through proper authorities.
The Edo State governorship election will be held on Saturday, September 21.
People of the state will have the opportunity to elect a new governor in a highly competitive three-way race.
The three major candidates in the election include a senator representing Edo Central, Monday Okpebholo, who is running on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), prominent lawyer and businessman, Asue Ighodalo, contesting on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, of the Labour Party (LP).
YIAGA Africa, a civil society organisation (CSO), on Thursday, September 19 identified three key factors that would determine the successful conduct of the election.
It also said the election would be used to measure the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.
The group, in a statement listed the impartiality of security agencies, citizens’s resilience, and the integrity of (INEC) as key indicators that would shape the exercise and further show how Nigeria’s electoral system has fared.
According to the organisation, the voter registration data for the election indicate a significant increase in voter engagement compared to the previous election in 2020.
It added that a total of 2,629,025 voters have registered for the election, indicating a 19 per cent increase from the 2,210,535 registered in 2020.
“Of these, 2,249,780 (85.57 per cent of registered voters) have collected their permanent voter cards (PVCs), indicating a high level of interest among the electorate to participate in this crucial election,” the group stated.
A reporter with the ICIR
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