The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said a total of 1,955,657 registered voters will participate in the July 16 Osun State governorship election.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, said this at a roundtable media executives dialogue in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Friday.

Okoye said 15 political parties would participate in the election in all the 30 local government areas of the state.

He, however, urged journalists in the state to ensure credible and fair reportage during the governorship election.

Okoye, who added that the media is important to the electoral process, said without the media, the commission’s election process and procedures might not get to the electorate and the parties’ candidates.

He said: “We are meeting the media today because they are critical stakeholders in the electoral process.

“We appeal to the media to do proper investigation during the election before publishing any report.

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“Breaking news is good but fact-checking is also important for the right information to be sent out.”

Okoye further stated that Bimodal Accreditation System (BVAS) would be used for the authentication and verification of voters.

He noted that the election would be conducted within the ambit of the constitution, electoral act, INEC’s regulation, and guidelines.

The INEC official added that the election would be free, fair, and transparent, saying: “We have the power to do what is right and we will put everything in place to do that.”

Okoye said INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, would be in the state between July 3 and July 7 to oversee preparation for the election.

He added that mock exercise and accreditation with BVAS would be done during the period.

The Star