After closed-door meeting, INEC postpones announcement of results

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says results of the Edo state governorship election will be announced later on Thursday.

Sam Olumekun, resident electoral commissioner of Edo, disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with a national commissioner and two resident electoral commissioners.

Though Olumekun did not give reasons for the shift, NAN said it could be as a result of the late arrival of results from the 18 local government areas of the state.

TheCable observed that materials started arriving some minutes past 12am.

As of the time this report was being filed, three Hilux trucks believed to be conveying electoral materials had arrived the Ikpoba Hill headquarters of the commission in Edo.

However, many journalists, party agents, and election observers were stranded at INEC office as a result of the last-minute decision by the electoral body.

While some of the reporters, who had earlier been barred from the collation center were sleeping under the canopy, where the exercise will be relayed through a projector, some observers and agents were stuck at the venue of the collation.

Most of the television reporters left INEC office, probably after getting wind of the new development.

When the commission adopted simultaneous accreditation and voting, many felt the exercise would not drag on for too long.

Voting ended at 2pm in many polling stations across the state.