The disruption took place in five wards in the state, according to a statement made by Timidi Wariowe, the head of INEC Voters’ Education in Edo State, in Benin City, the state’s capital.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State, issued the following statement: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State, has received reports of unruly incidents between yesterday (Friday) and today (Saturday), which degenerated to the disruption of the collection of PVCs and threat to officials and materials in the following Registration Areas (RAs)/Wards: “Ward 01 at Iwogban/Uteh; Ward 05 at St. S
As a result of assurances the Electoral Officer received from the DSS regarding their presence in those locations, INEC Edo State has decided to move the collection centers for Ward 1 and Ward 9 to the INEC Local Council Office in Ikpoba Okha, while the staff who had previously left Ward 5, Ward 6, and Ward 7 are making their way back to their collection centers to continue with the activity. The Police Command has also received information on the situation from INEC.
To ensure that every voter has their PVCs and can cast a ballot in the election, INEC wants to remind residents, especially community leaders, of the need to protect the safety of INEC workers and materials deployed to the various areas.
He remarked, “PVC collection may only be done by the owners and not through proxy. IEC wishes to emphasize this once more.
In the meantime, the commission said that 26,095 potential voters had gathered their PVCs before the general elections between January 1 and January 7, 2023.
This was included in a statement that the INEC Head of Voters Education, Edo State, made public. Wariowe Timidi.