Home News INEC Deploys Non-Sensitive Materials Ahead of Ondo Governorship Election

INEC Deploys Non-Sensitive Materials Ahead of Ondo Governorship Election

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed non-sensitive election materials to all 18 local government areas of Ondo State in preparation for the November 16 governorship election.

Addressing the media on the commission’s preparations, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, confirmed that INEC would be deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation and utilizing the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) for the real-time transmission of election results.

Mrs. Babalola provided detailed figures, stating that the election would involve 2,053,061 registered voters, which includes 1,034,006 males, 1,019,055 females, and 726,944 youth, all of whom will decide between 17 governorship candidates contesting in the election.

On the logistics front, Babalola disclosed that a significant portion of the necessary non-sensitive materials had already been dispatched to INEC offices in all 18 local government areas. She said the materials were being carefully prepared at the Resident Area Centres and at the Polling Unit levels.

“The electoral umpire is collaborating closely with relevant security agencies and stakeholders to ensure that these materials are stored securely and distributed on time,” Babalola noted.

Highlighting the technological innovations that INEC would introduce in the election, Babalola emphasized, “The deployment of BVAS is a key innovation aimed at enhancing the credibility of the electoral process. May I state categorically that BVAS shall be deployed in all 3,933 polling units in the state for voter accreditation, ensuring that only registered voters with valid PVCs are allowed to vote.”

She added that, “This system will also transmit polling unit results directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), enabling greater transparency and real-time access to election results by the public.”

Babalola underscored the importance of competence in the recruitment of poll officials, especially those from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), saying, “Our focus during recruitment has been on competence, neutrality, and professionalism. The NYSC, who are going to form the major crop of poll officials to be used in the election, have been subjected to 13 weeks of root training before the major Electoral Institute Training of Election Officials.”

In addition, she said, “A series of capacity-building workshops have been conducted for our staff, with further training and workshops still ongoing. This is aimed at aiding the staff of the Commission in the state to discharge their duties professionally.”

Babalola reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting a credible, transparent, and inclusive election in Ondo State. She urged the electorate to come out in large numbers on Election Day, exercise their rights peacefully, and actively participate in the democratic process.

In her closing remarks, she called on all political parties, candidates, and their supporters to “respect the rules of engagement and promote a peaceful atmosphere before, during, and after the election.”