Ondo bye-election: INEC distributes sensitive materials for Saturday’s exercise

Ahead of next Saturday’s bye-election for the Ondo South Senatorial District, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of sensitive election materials as part of preparations for the conduct of the exercise.

The distribution exercise was conducted under the supervision of electoral officials, security agencies, and representatives of political parties. Sensitive materials, including ballot papers, result sheets, and other election documents, were deployed to designated locations ahead of Saturday’s poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed June 20 for the bye-election to fill the vacant senatorial seat previously occupied by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Speaking during the distribution exercise held on Wednesday at the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mutiu Agboke, disclosed that all logistical arrangements for the smooth conduct of the forthcoming bye-election had been concluded by the electoral body.

Agboke explained that non-sensitive materials had earlier been distributed, while the sensitive materials were being deployed under the supervision of party agents and security operatives to ensure transparency in the process.

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He further noted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices earmarked for the election had been tested and certified functional, adding that additional backup units were on standby to address any possible technical challenges during the poll.

According to him, a total of 673,446 registered voters are expected to participate in the bye-election across 1,354 polling units and 66 registration areas spread across Okitipupa, Irele, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo local government areas.

He added that only four political parties — the All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Boot Party (BP) — would be participating in the election.

The REC charged stakeholders in the state’s electoral process to ensure transparency and peaceful conduct, especially during and after the weekend bye-election.

He said: “Nothing will determine the winner of any election in Ondo State other than the votes of the people.

“So, if you are asking INEC about transparency, also ask the stakeholders, particularly political parties, to be transparent. How? On election day, if you bring money to buy people’s votes, you are not being transparent.

“If you want to unleash terror or violence, you are not being transparent. If you want to harass our staff or create problems in the electoral space, you are not being transparent.

“So, for INEC, we have trained our staff. They are going to work in line with the best practices and standards we have given them. They are going to ensure that people’s votes count.”

In his remarks, the state Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr Alex Adeniyi, expressed confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a smooth and transparent poll in Saturday’s bye-election.

He noted that the electoral body, under the supervision of REC Mutiu Agboke, had demonstrated readiness and commitment to ensuring that the votes of the electorate would count in the exercise.

Meanwhile, representatives of the various political parties present at the event urged INEC to ensure the early arrival of election materials at polling units to avoid delays on election day.

In their separate remarks, Felix Oloro, the state Chairman of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), and Olaoluwa Adesanya, the representative of the Action Peoples Party (APP), both affirmed their parties’ readiness for Saturday’s bye-election.