The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has harped on the need for collaboration of all stakeholders as a prerequisite for a successful governorship election in Edo State come September 21, 2024, the date scheduled for the poll.
The National Commissioner in charge of Planning, Monitoring and Strategy, Professor Rhoda Gumus, who stated this on Wednesday at an Election Risk Management Workshop for stakeholders in Benin City, said that election remained a complex and enormous undertaking which could not be done in isolation.
The INEC National Commissioner said that the workshop was organised to expose participants to the Commission’s Electoral Risk Framework, identify internal and external risk factors associated with the conduct of the election and how to address such.
“The Electoral Risk Management sensitisation workshop seeks to expose participants to the INEC Electoral Risk Framework, identify internal and external risk factors that may be associated with the conduct of governorship election in the state and develop mitigating strategies.
“The conduct of elections in every clime is a complex and enormous undertaking which cannot be done in isolation; it requires financial resources, wide variety of human expertise in diverse areas, varying layers of engagements, consultations, planning and eventual implementation,” Gumus said.
According to her, “INEC constitutionally is saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections, it unequivocally needs the cooperation of security management bodies and other relevant stakeholders to achieve the conduct of a successful election.
“The interplay of environmental dynamics is recognized as either negatively or positively impacting an election by security experts from all ideological spectrums; thus, implying that elections do not exist in a vacuum.
“Threats or risk that impede the successful conduct of elections emanate from the environment and are directly or indirectly linked to the legal, operational, technical, political, socio-economic and security situations prevailing in a country, peculiarly in transitional democracies.”
Also, the National Commissioner in charge of Outreach and Partnership, Professor Kunle Ajayi, said everyone must be concerned about security during elections and the prevention of security breaches by identifying flashpoints.
He noted that the Commission had confidence in the security agencies to manage election risk/violence where it might occur, adding, “We know that the security agencies can use their expertise to provide adequate security before, during and after elections.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Anugbum Onuoha, stated that the ability to manage risk during the election would lead to the conduct of a free, fair and credible election.
The state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, on his part, assured that his men were ready to provide adequate security on election day, noting that sensitisation of the police officers started long ago.