Ondo REC assures of INEC readiness for  seamless electoral process

By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –

As Ondo State governorship  election set to tomorrow, Saturday November 16, 2024, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, has disclosed that everything is in place for a seamless and credible process.

Babalola made the disclosure during and interview with some Journalist on Friday at the INEC State Headquarters in Akure.

Speaking on the preparation of the electoral umpire, she stated that INEC has deployed 4,002 Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS) across the state, with no reported issues.

According to her,  ad-hoc staff, including Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers, have been recruited and posted to their respective fields.

Security Measures in Place
On security issue, Babalola said that, to ensure the safety and security of voters, over 30,000 security personnel will be deployed across the state. These personnel have undergone training on professionalism, commitment, and INEC’s processes . The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) are also collaborating with INEC to prevent vote buying and selling.

“INEC has conducted extensive voter awareness and education campaigns through multiple channels to inform citizens about the electoral process ¹. The commission encourages all registered voters to exercise their franchise and promises a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election”.

“Results from the BVAS will be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time. In areas with network issues, officials will relocate to nearby areas to facilitate uploading . With these measures in place, Ondo State is poised for a successful governorship election”, he added