Janet Samuel, Abuja
Ahead of the Edo Governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has urged Media organizations that are interested in covering the forthcoming governorship election in the State to submit applications for accreditation along with the required documents.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the call while speaking at the second quarterly consultative meeting with media executives on Wednesday in Abuja.
Profetsoor Yakubu said early submission of applications and documents would enable the Commission to produce and deliver identity cards for journalists covering the election in good time.
“As we move closer to Election Day in Edo State, it is also imperative to request media organisations to submit applications for accreditation to report on the election in earnest along with the required documentation for individual journalists and support staff.
“Doing so will enable the Commission to produce and deliver the identity cards for journalists covering the election in good time.
“The Commission will not entertain requests outside the deadline for the receipt of applications from interested media organisations or process requests that do not meet the criteria for accreditation”
Professor Yakubu also appealed to the Media organisations to support the Commission in mobilising prospective voters to register and collect their voters card in good time.
He emphasized the need for prospective voters to engage in the voter registration exercise on time to avoid eleventh hour rush.
“Taking into consideration the limited time to the Governorship elections, the Commission has decided to conduct the registration at Ward level and our State headquarters instead of our Local Government offices and a few designated centers as was the case in the past.
“This means that there will be 192 Ward registration centres in Edo State and 203 centres in Ondo State in addition to our State offices in Benin City and Akure, making a total of 397 walk-in registration centres in the two States.
“The Commission therefore appeals to the media to join us 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 said.
In his remarks, the President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr Chris Isiguzo, represented by the NUJ National Secretary, Mr Achike Chude commended INEC for making available regular updates to stakeholders in its activities and urged the Commission to ensure adequate preparation head of the election.
