The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) extended voting time in Edo State for areas where voting commenced late in the ongoing governorship election. INEC aims to ensure no voter is disenfranchised and has assured adequate power supply to affected polling units to ensure voting completion.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended voting in some areas of Edo State where voting started late during the ongoing governorship election. INEC Commissioner Mohammed Haruna announced that the extension ensures that all eligible voters in those areas, who arrived at polling units by 2:30 p.m., will still be able to cast their ballots.
Haruna emphasized that the extension aligns with INEC regulations to prevent voter disenfranchisement. He stated that voting will continue in the affected polling units until the last voter in line has voted.
The commission acknowledged that while many polling units began voting early, others experienced delays. To address these issues, INEC confirmed that backup generators would be provided at the necessary polling stations or collation centers to ensure uninterrupted voting.
The Edo governorship election has attracted significant attention, with 17 candidates vying for the office of governor. Major candidates include those from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP).
Meanwhile, some technical challenges were reported, such as non-functioning BVAS machines and protests over missing result sheets at certain polling units. However, INEC officials worked to reassure voters that these issues were being addressed to ensure a fair and transparent election process.