Edo, Ondo polls: INEC warns against abuse of incumbency power

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned the governors of Edo and Ondo states and other politicians in the states against abusing the power of incumbency during the upcoming gubernatorial elections in the states.

The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, issued the warning during the 2024 second regular quarterly consultative meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), held at the INEC headquarters on Thursday in Abuja.

The commission has scheduled the off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states for September 21 and November 16, respectively.

Prof. Yakubu urged security agencies to monitor the electioneering process to prevent violent attacks and negative mobilisation by political parties, candidates, and their supporters during their campaigns.

He highlighted that the use of incumbency to deny opposition parties access to public facilities or impose excessive fees often results in a breach of peace, violating Sections 91 to 97 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Responding on behalf of the security agencies, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and co-chairman of the ICCES, Nuhu Ribadu, urged strategic deployment of personnel for the elections to avoid overburdening the system.

Represented by the Director of Internal Security at the NSA Office, Hassan Abdullahi, he commended the agencies’ performance in the 2023 general elections and expressed the same expectations for the forthcoming elections.