The Independent National Electoral Commission has said some of its ad-hoc-staff deployed to Urhonigbe South, Orhionmwon Local Government Area are yet to be accounted for due to escalation in electoral violence in the area.

Director, Planning and Monitoring, INEC, Mr Paul Omokore, who confirmed the incident at the Edo Governorship Election Virtual Situation Control Room which is holding via Zoom, said results sheets hijacked by hoodlums were also unaccounted for.

He specifically mentioned that the missing ad-hoc staff were deployed to polling units 06 and 07 in Ward 8, and that violence had escalated to five more polling units in the LGA.

He, however, said security agencies have been able to retrieve some ballot boxes stolen in the process, saying the commission is in touch with the police to ensure peaceful conduct of the ongoing governorship election.

Chairman of INEC9 Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured that the Commission would take decisive action on results from the affected units.

The Card Readers provided for the Edo Governorship election to authenticate fingerprints of voters in Esan West and Esan Central Local Government Areas of Edo on Saturday failed to recognise some voters. Our correspondents, who monitored the election in the areas, report that while the Card Readers easily identified the voter cards, they failed to authenticate their fingerprints. This abnormally was noticeable at the polling units in Ward 5 (Uhunmudumu Primary School), and units 14, 15 and 16 (Emado Primary School) in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area. The same was applicable in units 5 and 6, Ward 6 (Idumebo Primary School), in Esan Central Local Government Area.

However, our correspondents reports that the voters were still allowed to vote after the cases were incidented on INEC form after which the voters were made to thumb print in the form. Meanwhile, Mr Victor Edoro, a politician in the area and an ex-commissioner in Edo, Mr Gideon Obhakhan, have described the exercise as impressive. They described the voting process as peaceful and orderly, with compliance to COVID-19 Pandemic containment protocols. Edoro, who voted at his voting centre in Idumebo Primary School, Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area, described the voting process as “peaceful and hitch-free.”