Janet Samuel, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said the Commission will revoke accreditation of any observer that violates Code of Conduct contained in the document entitled “Briefing for Observers.
The INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu gave the warning during the third regular quarterly consultative meeting with the CSOs on the preparation for Edo state governorship elections on Tuesday in Abuja.
He reminded the CSOs of their obligation as observers to comply with the objectives of election observation and the Code of Conduct contained in the Commission’s rules of engagement for accredited election observers.
He disclosed that 56 organisations have uploaded the details of 894 observers for the Edo State Governorship election representing 33.6% of the expected 2,660 observers.
Professor Mahmood also reminded the CSOs that the deadline for submitting and uploading the list of their observers required information, including photographs, to the dedicated portal ends on Wednesday 31st when the portal automatically shuts down at 6pm.
He then urged CSOs to ensure that they meet the deadline so that the Commission can produce the accreditation tags and deliver them for distribution to their observers in good time..
The INEC Chairman informed that the Commission is aware that some organisations have not only responded in good time, but have also requested for additional slots for observers to be deploy across the two States.
Prof. Yakubu, who said the Commission is concerned about the safety of candidates, agents and supporters as well as their own officials, observers, journalists, service providers and, above all, the voters, urged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to intensify advocacy for peaceful elections.
