The Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) has assured political parties that will be participating in the December 7 council poll that the commission would be transparent in all its dealings throughout the process of the election.
Chairman of EKSIEC, Justice Jide Aladejana who gave the assurance while speaking during stakeholders meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital denied the insinuations that the electoral body has concluded plans to rig the poll in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“On our part, we will be transparent. In other words, there will be inclusiveness and all parties will be given a level playing ground, they should take that from us. We don’t have an interest in any political party.
“Materials will be made available at the polling units very early in the morning so as to enable voting to start at 8 am and stop by 2 pm as stipulated in our guideline,” he said.
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Aladejana disclosed that the commission would not be engaging corps members as ad hoc staff, rather he said senior academics and civil servants will be drafted for the poll.
He said: “For instance, if this election should go all the way to the Tribunal and there is for ad hoc staff to appear in court, you will agree with me that some of the corps members might have left the state.
“But, civil servants are always around and that is why we want to make use of their availability. They can’t run away from the state, that is our belief.”
The chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state, Hon Ilesanmi Omolayo expressed the willingness of the political parties to cooperate with the electoral body in a bid to ensure that the state had peaceful and successful local government poll.
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