Edo poll: INEC extends voting hours in areas with delayed start

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday extended voting hours in areas of Edo State where governorship election polls experienced delayed starts.

Mr. Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee, said in a press statement that although voting began early in many polling units, there were reports of delays in some locations.

To safeguard voting rights, INEC mandated that polling stations remain open until every individual in the queue by 2:30 pm has cast their ballot, adhering to the Commission’s regulations and guidelines.

INEC instructed its Edo State office to deploy backup power supplies to affected polling units and vote-counting centres, guaranteeing an uninterrupted voting process.

According to Persecondnews, INEC is closely monitoring the election from its situation room (a central hub for overseeing and coordinating events) at the National Headquarters in Abuja.

“The Commission continues to monitor the ongoing governorship election in Edo State from our situation room at the National Headquarters in Abuja.

“Our monitoring indicates the early commencement of polls in many polling units, but there are also reports of delayed starts in some locations.

“To ensure that no voter is disenfranchised, the Commission wishes to reiterate that, in line with our Regulations and Guidelines, voting will be extended wherever it commenced late and will continue until the last voter in the queue, who arrived at the polling unit by 2:30 pm, has voted.

“Accordingly, we have drawn the attention of our office in Eo State to ensure that, where necessary, there is adequate power supply from our backup electric generators in the affected polling units or ward collation centres,” it said.