INEC Deploys 17,562 Ad hoc Personnel for Saturday’s Election in Ondo
• As 303,000 PVCs remain ucollected
Fidelis David in Akure
As Nigerians get ready for the presidential election, which is scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State has said a total of 17,562 ad hoc personnel will be deployed to serve in various capacities in the state.
The state Acting Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Oyekola Oyelami, stated this in Akure on Tuesday, while briefing journalists on the level of preparedness towards the general election.
“The commission is deploying 17,562 ad hoc personnel to serve in various capacities in the Saturday election in the state. As far as the issue of BVAS is concerned, INEC has been sensitizing people on its usage. It is going to be used for accreditation and where the thumbprint doesn’t work, the facial expression will work.
“Also, on the 4th of February, we had mock accreditation exercise nationwide, where the efficiency and effectiveness of BVAS machine was tested and it was a successful exercise,” he said.
Amid apprehension in several quarters that the ongoing cash crunch occasioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy, as well as a biting petrol scarcity could scuttle the elections, the Acting REC said elections would take place.
“INEC doesn’t have any problem with the issue of fuel scarcity and cash crunch. Arrangements are being made to ensure that goes as scheduled.
“We have a total number of 3,933 polling units in the state. Over 1.7 million PVCs have been collected while the uncollected PVCs stands at 303,000. The total number of Polling Units is 3,933; total number of Registration Area (RA) is 203,” Oyelami said.
According to him, the number of collation centres is as follow: RA collation centres, 203; LGA collation centres, 18; state constituency collation centres, 26; federal constituency collation centres is 9; senatorial district collation centers, 3 and state collation centre is one.
He assured the people that INEC in the state will always work together with the commission in all the electoral activities and deliver free, fair, smooth, successful and acceptable elections.
