The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has acknowledged mistakes made during the Edo State governorship election and assured that these errors will not recur in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election scheduled for November 16.
During a visit to the INEC state headquarters in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, on Monday, Prof. Yakubu discussed insights gained from the recent Edo election as well as previous polls.
He highlighted logistics and result management as the primary issues faced, according to Politics Nigeria.
Yakubu reassured voters in Ondo State that they would see noticeable enhancements in these areas. “My assurance to voters in Ondo State is that they are going to see fast improvement in these two processes,” he affirmed.
The Edo State election in September resulted in Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress being declared the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party, who received 247,274 and 22,763 votes, respectively. However, both the PDP and Labour Party rejected the outcome, citing alleged discrepancies in the election process.
In preparation for the Ondo election, Prof. Yakubu explained that his visit aimed to assess INEC’s readiness.
His trip included meetings with key stakeholders, including political parties, civil society groups, the media, and security agencies, to ensure that all parties are well-prepared for the forthcoming election.
“We have learned a lot of lessons not only from the last election but also from previous elections,” Prof. Yakubu said, noting that the commission had identified two major challenges. “The first one is logistics for election, so that polling units open promptly on election day. The second one is result management.”