The Edo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it has taken delivery of 4, 637 ballot boxes ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The state INEC Administrative Secretary, Richard Ntui, said this at an interactive forum with religious leaders in Benin yesterday.
Mr Ntui, who briefed the religious leaders on the preparations for the general elections, said more ballot boxes were being expected in the state.
He said INEC had constituted a committee to recruit ad hoc staff for the election, adding that the action was to ensure transparency in the recruitment process.
“INEC has no enough staff to conduct the election, hence the need for ad hoc staff.
“We are going to recruit them from federal establishments and tertiary institutions in the state.
“There are 91 registered political parties in the country.
“Twenty six of them conducted primaries and are fielding candidates for various positions in the state,” he said.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Edo, Bayelsa and Rivers State May Agbamuche-Mbu, said the forum was to formally acquaint religious leaders on the level of preparation for the general election.
“The commission is aware of your support through voters’ education which you did through messages during worship sessions.
“This has great influence on your followers.
“For this we say thank you for making our work lighter,” she said.
The state chairman, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Yusuf Bako, however, expressed concern over abuse of social media by some Nigerians.
“The social media is a major challenge we are facing now as a nation.
“We are using it to destroy ourselves, so we want you to find ways to check the challenge,” Bako said.
He urged the public to verify information from the social media to prevent the spread of fake news before, during and after the election.