Ondo Guber: INEC Vows Credible Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is ready for the Ondo State Governorship election holding on Saturday 16th November, its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has assured.

Speaking before an impressive audience at the Stakeholders’ Meeting, held at the Dome in Akure, Ondo State on Thursday 7th November, Prof Yakubu also affirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed for voter accreditation at the polling units and for the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

He said the Commission has accredited 111 domestic and international organisations deploying 3,554 as observers, and over 100 media organisations deploying 700 personnel including 129 female journalists. All accreditation tags and election duty vehicle stickers are ready and will be available for collection at the INEC State office in Akure.

The INEC Chairman stated that only two activities remain before Election Day: the last day of campaign which ends at midnight on Thursday, November 14, and the election itself.

On pre-election activities undertaken by the Commission, Prof. Yakubu told the stakeholders that INEC carried out voter registration and and made Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) available for collection. In addition, detailed information on the number of collected and uncollected PVCs across the State’s 3,933 polling units is now available on the INEC website, enabling voters to confirm their status and polling locations.

He provided an overview of the 2,053,061 registered voters across the state, including a demographic breakdown by local government area, gender, age, occupation, and disability status. He also confirmed the availability of a comprehensive list of candidates, including those added by court orders, ensuring transparency and compliance with the law.

Prof. Yakubu disclosed that the Commission, in collaboration with security and law enforcement agencies, has put comprehensive security measures in place to safeguard voters, INEC staff, observers, and media personnel across all polling and collation centers. According to him, the Inspector-General of Police and other relevant agencies have provided assurances of a secure environment to enable unimpeded access for all those involved in the electoral process.

On the deployment of technology for the election, the INEC Chairman said a mock accreditation conducted across 12 polling units within six local government areas to test run the efficacy of the BVAS machines was successful, reinforcing the system’s reliability. Results of the exercise have been uploaded to the IReV portal.

On election materials, Prof. Yakubu said arrangements have been concluded for the arrival of sensitive materials on Tuesday, 12th November, pledging that political parties and other stakeholders would be invited to inspect them at the Central Bank in Akure. Thereafter, the materials will be transported to various local government and ward centers under close monitoring.

At the same time, the INEC Chairman revealed that land and maritime transportation solutions have been put in place to navigate potential logistical challenges, including the deployment of technical support staff to troubleshoot any technological issues on Election Day.

Acknowledging the crucial role of political parties in maintaining order, he urged party leaders to ensure that their supporters refrain from any disruptive behavior. He emphasized the importance of proper identification, stating that INEC Accreditation Tags with QR codes would be provided for all party agents, to ensure that only authorized representatives are present at polling and collation sites.

To avoid impersonation, Prof. Yakubu cautioned against the use of unverified party tags, urging compliance with INEC’s identification protocol to prevent unnecessary conflicts at polling locations.

He reminded stakeholders of the signing of the Peace Accord scheduled for 8th November at 10:00 a.m. at The Dome. Former Head of State and Chairman, National Peace Committee (NPC) will preside over the ceremony which aims at reinforcing the commitment of all candidates to peaceful elections.