In the upcoming Edo State Governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024, there are 17 political parties vying for the top position. As part of the election preparations, these parties were tasked with submitting the details of their agents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The process for this was facilitated through a dedicated online portal that was open from July 17 to July 30, 2024.
The total number of agents required by INEC for this election is a significant figure: 80,410. This includes agents needed for the 4,519 polling units across the state, and for the 211 collation centres. These centres are broken down into 192 ward centres, 18 local government centres, and the main State collation centre located in Benin City. Despite the extensive need, the political parties have managed to upload only 44,687 agents to the portal by the deadline. This represents just 55.6% of the required agents.
Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), addressed the media following an INEC meeting held on August 8, 2024. He highlighted that each political party that is fielding a candidate in the election was expected to nominate a total of 4,730 agents. However, the data revealed a significant shortfall: only three parties succeeded in uploading the complete details of their agents for all levels of polling and collation, while one party did not submit any agents’ details at all.
Mr. Olumekun elaborated on the process, saying: “Nigerians may recall that since 2020, the Commission had replaced the manual process for accreditation of observers, media, polling and collation agents with dedicated portals to which the required information, including photographs, is uploaded. Political parties were subsequently required to upload the details of their agents for polling units and collation centers for all elections.”
He continued, “For the Edo State Governorship Election, the portal opened on July 17, 2024, and automatically shut down at midnight on July 30, 2024 as indicated on item 9 on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election released almost a year ago in September 2023.”
Olumekun further explained the distribution of agents, stating, “In Edo State, there are 4,519 polling units and 211 collation centers, comprising 192 ward centers, 18 Local Government centers, and the State collation centers in Benin City. A political party fielding a candidate in the election is expected to nominate 4,730 agents.”
Breaking down the submitted figures, Olumekun noted that the 17 political parties provided 44,687 agents in total. This included 43,043 for polling units, 1,452 for ward centers, 179 for local government centers, and 13 for the State collation center. Despite the efforts of these parties, this number only meets 55.6% of the total requirement.
The shortfall in agent submission is concerning for INEC and the electoral process, as the presence of agents is crucial for ensuring transparency and integrity in the election. The agents play a vital role in monitoring the voting and collation processes, helping to prevent and address any issues that may arise at the polling units and collation centers.
The underrepresentation of agents from some parties could potentially impact the smooth conduct of the election. It remains to be seen how INEC will address this shortfall and ensure that the election proceeds fairly and without major issues. The situation calls for urgent action from the political parties to fill the gaps and meet the required number of agents in order to uphold the democratic process in Edo State.
