KEY POINTS

• Ondo candidates call for an impartial election from INEC and police.
• INEC pledges readiness, with over 22,000 police officers deployed.
• INEC to deploy BVAS for real-time result viewing and transparency.

With the Ondo State governorship election just days away, political candidates have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that the electoral process remains uncompromised.

During a stakeholders meeting held in Akure, which included 17 gubernatorial candidates, political parties, and security agencies, the candidates urged INEC and police officials to remain impartial, pledging in return that they would encourage their supporters to act responsibly.

INEC vows full preparedness for fair election

INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced that the commission is fully prepared to deliver a transparent election.

“We will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for voter authentication and result uploads to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal,” Yakubu assured.

He also warned INEC staff about the potential consequences of neglecting their responsibilities.

In readiness for the election, INEC completed essential steps, such as voters’ registration and distributing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to eligible citizens.

The commission also shared detailed data on the number of collected and uncollected PVCs across Ondo’s 3,933 polling stations and demographics of the state’s 2,053,061 registered voters.

Furthermore, Yakubu highlighted that INEC has accredited 111 organizations, including local and international observers, and over 700 media personnel to cover the election.

Extensive security deployment and support

Representing the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, through Assistant Inspector General Abiodun Asabi, stated that 22,239 police officers will be deployed across the state to secure the electoral process.

“We ask stakeholders to refrain from violence and respect the electoral process,” he said, underscoring that violators would be prosecuted.

However, the police force, along with additional support from various security agencies, is committed to ensuring a smooth election by protecting voters, INEC staff, observers, and media personnel.

According to Vanguard, Yakubu also mentioned INEC’s measures for land and maritime transport to guarantee efficient delivery of sensitive election materials.

Moreover, the materials are expected to arrive on Tuesday for final checks, with political party representatives and stakeholders invited to inspect these at the Central Bank office in Akure.

A push for peace and transparency

INEC and police officials have vowed to ensure that the process leading to the vote by the citizens of Ondo state is credible.

The cooperative actions introduced should help to maintain public trust and to guarantee that the election process responds to the people’s desire.