The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its commitment to conducting a free and fair governorship election in Ondo State, scheduled for November 16.
This assurance was made by the Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, during his visit to assess the state’s preparation for the election on Tuesday. The visit included inspections of several INEC Local Government Area (LGA) offices in the state, where Yakubu personally reviewed the progress of arrangements. He expressed satisfaction with the preparations, stating that all non-sensitive election materials were already in place at the LGA offices.
“In terms of the level of preparation so far, I am really impressed by what the state and local government offices have achieved,” Yakubu commented. He added that the only remaining component was the arrival of sensitive materials, which were expected to be delivered by Tuesday next week.
Yakubu outlined the detailed timeline for the distribution and inspection of election materials. He noted that on Wednesday, all parties, candidates, observers, the media, security agencies, and INEC officials would conduct an inspection of the sensitive materials. Following this, on Thursday, the materials would be moved to the local government areas, where further inspection would take place before they are distributed to the wards on Friday.
The INEC Chairman also highlighted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, crucial for the election process, had already been charged and configured. These machines would be deployed alongside the sensitive materials to the various local government areas.
Additionally, Yakubu assured the public of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to improve its processes, emphasizing that life jackets would be provided for all election officials heading to riverine areas in Ondo State. He explained that measures had been put in place to ensure that in the event of any mishap, the election materials could be retrieved from the water.
“We place a premium on the security of our officials, both ad-hoc and regular, as well as the security personnel accompanying the election materials,” Yakubu affirmed. He also added that this precautionary measure would apply to all riverine areas across the country, further ensuring the safety of those involved in the election process.
