The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Tuesday presented the soft copy of the certified true copy of the register of voters to registered political parties participating in the forthcoming September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State in Benin City.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr Anugbum Onuoha presented the register to the political parties represented by their chairmen, secretaries and other officials
Onuoha, however, presented the register to Labour Party governorship candidate, Barrister Olumide Akpata as a result of the leadership crisis rocking the party now parading two chairmen in the state .
This is coming as Prof Rhoda Gamus, the National INEC Commissioner, supervising Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa State disclosed that a total of 2, 629,025 voters registered for the Edo state governorship election,
Gamus, said the presentation of the voters register was the 10th scheduled of the commission’s preparedness for the election.
She, however, urged the leadership of political parties to mobilize their supporters to collect their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, as they mobilized them during the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise in the state.
While assuring that INEC would do the needful in line with the Electoral Act to conduct credible, fair and free elections, she said, without PVCs, electorate would not vote.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, however pointed out that the non-handing over of the voter register to the Labour Party representative was as a result of the leadership crisis which had polarised the party into factional executives in the state.
Labour Party presently has Barrister Kelly Ogbaloe and Hon Elizabeth Ativie led executives claiming authenticity and legality.
He said instead, the register would be presented to the party’s governorship candidate, Barrister Olumide Akpata, being the only candidate of the party for the election.
“The presentation of the register of voters to political parties was in line with the relevant section of the Electoral Act that mandated the commission to within 30 days to the election present the voters register to political parties” REC declared.
Olatunde Olalere, Director, of Voter Registry, while giving an analysis of the register of voters, said a total of 8,847 transferred PVCs from other states to Edo State.
Olalere said 109 voters transferred PVCs from Edo to Ondo State while 54, 202 voters registered more than one.
On the analysis of local government registration, he added that Ikpoba Okha and Oredo Local Governments have the highest numbers of voters while Igueben Local Government has the lowest figure.
On the gender analysis, he said, male has a figure of 1,370,061 while the female has 1,258, 964 voters.
He also added that a total of 4,199 Persons with Disabilities,PWDs, registered while occupational basis youths have the highest figure of 864,764.
