By Mercy Peter
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 7 Friday 2025 disclosed that the media deployed 721 personnel in the recent Edo governorship election.
Yakubu also noted that 114 accredited media organizations were accredited for the Edo State off-cycle governorship election and a similar turnout for the Ondo election.
He made the disclosure at the Commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with media stakeholders in Abuja.
Yakubu stressed the vital roles being played by the media in election coverage.
He said: “ You may recall that 114 accredited media organisations deployed 721 personnel to cover the recent off-cycle Governorship Election in Edo State while 112 organisations deployed over 700 staff for the Ondo State Governorship Election. We look forward to the same partnership and support in all our forthcoming elections and electoral activities.”
He also informed the media stakeholders of that the Commission has released the Timetable and scheduled activities for Anambra governorship election slated for 8tj November 2025 and that of the FCT Council elections holding on 21st February 2026.
He also revealed that there will be other bye-elections to fill vacant seats at both state and federal Assemblies.
“In addition to the end-of-tenure elections, there is an increasing number of bye-elections to be conducted. In the last three weeks alone, vacancies have occurred in one Federal Constituency and two State Constituencies caused by the death of serving members. In another State Constituency, the State Assembly declared the seat vacant as a result of absenteeism, following the prolonged absence of the member from sittings of the House in violation of Section 109(1)[f] of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” Yakubu added.
While soliciting for the support of the media to help the Commission push through its request for needed electoral reforms, Yakubu assured the stakeholders of INEC continuous collaboration with the media.
In his remarks, the National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Hassan Yahaya, assured INEC of the union’s collaboration as the success of INEC is the success of the Nigerian state.
Represented by the National Secretary of the Union, Achike Chude, the NUJ president remarked on INEC’s request for more budgetary allocation, stating that in view of the myriads of socioeconomic challenges in Nigerian, the commission should exploit cost-effective ways of doing things.
“We know that they are also looking for ways to make things a bit easier. But we cannot run away from our economic realities.
“And so if there are ways that they also can look at in-house to see how some of those things that have been done can be done perhaps, a bit better in terms of the cost implications, taking in view the economic realities on ground in Nigeria, I think we would encourage them to do that,” he said.
He also advocated for the use of national identity cards, international passports, driving licenses as means of voting in the country’s elections.
