Oyekanmi gave an assurance that INEC is dedicated to supporting the participation of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) with regard to preparations.

The Edo governorship election will not be impacted by the current spike in petrol prices, according to assurances from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At a news conference held in Abuja prior to the election, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, made this declaration.

He clarified that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) leaders and the commission have been actively discussing the problem.

“To address this issue, the commission has held discussions with NURTW officials in recent days, and I believe a resolution has been reached,” stated Oyekanmi.

He underlined that election preparations should account for unforeseen circumstances.

“We take possible adjustments and difficulties into consideration when organising for elections. Transporters aren’t supposed to run at a loss. Negotiations are possible if fuel prices have increased and transportation expenses need to be adjusted, he continued.

Absent from the meeting, Oyekanmi expressed confidence that an agreement had been reached and gave assurances that the election would go forward without a hitch.

Oyekanmi gave an assurance that INEC is dedicated to supporting the participation of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) with regard to preparations.

Electoral officers are educated to support people with disabilities even if voting places, which are primarily found in public spaces like schools, may not be specifically made for them.

“Our Presiding Officers are directed to give preference to voters with disabilities and the elderly, making sure they receive the support they require and are able to skip lines,” the speaker stated.

Concerns over the altering of result sheets were also addressed by Oyekanmi, who said that INEC has taken precautions against it.

“We have made great efforts to prevent the recurrence of prefilled result sheets, such as those observed in Kogi.

He said, “Our result sheets are custom-made with security features that are not known to the public, making forgery impossible.”

The resource management procedures used by the commission are also intended to prevent and deal with anomalies.

He went on to reassure that only polling places where elections are held will have their results tallied.

“Since such instances must be reported, it is not possible to collate results from a polling unit where an election did not occur,” Oyekanmi stated.

He affirmed that all 4,500 voting places in Edo will be used, and not a single one will be devoid of voters.

He stated, “The presiding officer is responsible for reporting if an election does not take place for any reason.”