By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin
The Executive Council of Edo Civil Society Organizations, an umbrella body of Civil society groups in the state has rejected accreditation to observe in the forthcoming Local government elections scheduled for this Saturday.
The CSOs said its decision was sequel to the seemly unpreparedness by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC).Public Relations Officer, Comrade Osazee Edigin in statement, recalled that the CSOs in a meeting with would-be observers at EDSIEC secretariat on February 26th, 2018 was uncoordinated. He said the hall for the meeting was without chairs, making observers to stand while the meeting with the Electoral Officers was in session. According to him, the most disappointing moment was when the coordinator of the meeting announced that observers should submit themselves to police screening before accreditation.
“We are irked by the directive of EDSIEC for police screening of election observers when individuals that are vying for the various political positions which will be entrusted by our sovereignty and commonwealth were not subjected to undergo police screening.”This approach has displayed how much priority EDSIEC had placed on election observation than the pedigree of persons to be entrusted with political powers,” he said.
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