The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will proceed with plans for the Edo governorship poll scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 10th.
The decision of the electoral commission to hold the election on Saturday as planned comes a day after the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS)jointly issued a statement advising a shift.
Wednesday’s call for a postponement of the election by the security agencies came as a surprise to many as President Muhammadu Buhari was in Benin city for his party’s grand rally only a day before.
The DSS and Police had stated that intelligence gathered showed that some extremist groups were planning to carry out attacks in some parts of Edo state on September 12th and 13th. They therefore urged INEC to postpone the election to allow security agencies deal with the threats.
Some observers however interpreted the call as an attempt to prevent a possible electoral defeat for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Some compared it to a similar shift in the general elections in 2015 by six weeks on the request of the military authorities, to tackle extremist group, Boko Haram.
With INEC’s resolve to proceed with the election despite the ‘advice’ from the security agencies, the Edo governorship poll is bound to attract attention from within and beyond the country for more reasons than the ongoing supremacy battle between the ruling APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A few persons have wondered if the DSS and police could be given the benefit of doubt, and are asking questions about the assurance of security for election officials.
The Edo governorship poll is majorly a contest between APC’s Godwin Obaseki and PDP’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu while Thompson Osadolor of the increasingly popular Kowa Party leads other candidates hoping to spin a surprise.
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