Edo LG election preparations have taken a new turn after the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Edo Sector Command, announced that it will not participate in Saturday’s local government election, citing the absence of an official invitation from election stakeholders.

The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Preye Bedford, disclosed the development during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Friday.

According to Bedford, the command’s absence from the election operations is simply because it was not formally invited to take part in the exercise.

“My command is not involved. Well, we weren’t invited,” he said.

The clarification comes ahead of the local government election scheduled to hold across the state’s 18 local government areas.

The announcement also follows the planned 12-hour restriction on movement imposed for election day, which is expected to run from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

When asked how the corps intended to manage traffic and road operations during the restriction period, Bedford indicated that the command would first monitor developments before determining the appropriate response.

He explained that routine operational activities would ordinarily have been suspended during the exercise.

“We will only assess the situation before we know what to do,” the sector commander stated.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalled that the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) cleared 12 political parties to participate in the local government election.

The poll will cover all 18 local government areas of the state, with security agencies and election officials expected to coordinate efforts to ensure a peaceful and orderly electoral process.

Although the FRSC will not officially participate in the election, authorities are expected to continue implementing measures aimed at maintaining public order and ensuring compliance with the movement restriction throughout the duration of the poll.