The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed non-sensitive materials to the 18 local government areas ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.
Addressing journalists on the preparation of the commission for the forthcoming governorship election, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, informed that the electoral umpire would use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) for the transmission of the election results.
Babalola further said that 2,053,061 persons including 1,034,006 male, 1,019,055 female and 726,944 youth would determine the fate of 17 governorship candidates during the poll.
The INEC REC noted that a large percentage of the non-sensitive election materials required for the election have been received and deployed to the 18 local government offices, where they are batched at Resident Area Centre and Polling unit levels.
According to her, the electoral umpire was working closely with the relevant security agencies and stakeholders to ensure safe storage and timely distribution of these materials on the eve of the election.
She said that, "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 three thousand nine hundred thirty-three (3,933) polling units in the state for voter accreditation, ensuring that only registered voters with valid PVCs are allowed to vote.
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"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."
Her words, "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 the same vein, while a series of capacity-building workshops have been conducted for our staff, lots of capacity enhancement training and workshops are still ongoing. This is aimed at aiding the staff of the Commission in the state to discharge their duties professionally."
While noting that the commission is fully committed to conducting a credible, transparent, and inclusive election in the state, the INEC Resident Commissioner called on the electorate to come out en masse on Election Day, exercise their franchise peacefully, and contribute to the democratic process.
Babalola, however, encouraged all political parties, candidates, and their supporters to respect the rules of engagement and promote a peaceful atmosphere before, during, and after the election.
