By Godfrey AKON
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has accredited the European Union, EU, YIAGA Africa Initiative, US Embassy and 131 other foreign and local observers for the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
In a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman,
Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, on
Monday, the Commission said the accreditation was in continuation of preparations for the two elections.
INEC disclosed that a total of 153 applications were received from interested organisations and after a review as provided by its regulations and guidelines, 134 groups were accredited.
According to the statement, 124 domestic observers were accredited while 10 international observers also met the requirements for accreditation.
“The classification of the organisations shows that 28 are gender-based, three representing Persons with Disability, eight are faith-based, 10 foreign and over 100 others working in areas relevant to the functions of INEC, most of them with previous experience of election observation.
“The next step is for the accredited organisations to upload the personal details and photographs of their field observers to our dedicated portal established for that purpose. To this end, the Commission is organising a one-day training for representatives of observer groups on Wednesday 17th July 2024 at the Commission’s Conference Room in Abuja at 10.00am. Access Code to the portal and letters of accreditation will be given to representatives of the accredited organisations at the training venue.
“Details of the one-day training as well as the comprehensive list of all the 134 accredited groups have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for action by the concerned organisations and for public information,” the commission said.
