We’ve Received Large Percentage of Non-sensitive Materials for Ondo Poll, Says REC

Fidelis David in Akure

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has received large percentage of non-sensitive materials for the November 16 governorship poll in Ondo State.

This was disclosed at the weekend by the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, while briefing journalists on the commission’s level of preparedness ahead of the election.

According to her, “I am pleased to inform you that a large percentage of the non-sensitive election materials required for the election have been received and deployed to the 18 Local Government Offices, where they are batched to RAs and Pus levels. We are working closely with the relevant security agencies and stakeholders to ensure safe storage and timely distribution of these materials on the eve of election.”

The REC said after the successful conclusion of the CVR exercise, 58,708 new voters were registered and 3,132 voters transferred their registration into Ondo State while 123 voters transferred their registration out of Ondo State, stressing that the harmonised total number of new registered voters with the old registered voters is now 2,053,061.

“The breakdown is as follows: male – 1,034,006 representing 50.36 percent; female – 1,019,055 representing 49.64 percent; youth -726,944 (35.41 percent); middle age – 721,982 ( 35.17 percent); elderly – 441,516 (21.51 percent) old -162,619 (7.92 percent) and PWD- 1,782 (0.09 percent).”

She noted that the breakdown established that the registration exercise was inclusive, transparent, and accessible to all eligible citizens, including marginalized groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

“As we await the commencement of the distribution of Permanent Voter Card (PVC), from the CVR exercise we urge all registered voters in the previous registration exercise who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so, as this process is ongoing at our LGA offices. We shall simplify the collection process and establish PVC collection centers in all Registration Areas (RA) and in the Local government areas for ease of access,” she said.

Besides, Babalola disclosed that political parties participating in the poll nominated 24,148 polling and collation agents out of the expected cumulative figure of 74,790 agents, while three political parties (AA, APGA, NRM) have no agents at all polling and collation levels.

She recalled that the portal opened on  August 20, 2024, and automatically shut down at midnight on September 30, 2024, as indicated on item 9 on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election released almost a year ago in September 2023.

Babalola explained that there are 3,933 polling units and 222 collation centres, consisting of 203 ward centres, 18 Local government areas and the state collation centre in Akure.

On Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the REC said: “The deployment of BVAS is a key innovation aimed at enhancing the credibility of the electoral process. May I state categorically that BVAS shall be deployed in all Three thousand nine hundred and thirty-three (3,933) Polling units in the state for voter accreditation, ensuring that only registered voters with valid PVCs are allowed to vote. This system will also transmit polling unit results directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), enabling greater transparency and real-time access to election results by the public.

“INEC IN Ondo State has taken custody of sufficient numbers of BVAS for the purpose of the election, and we are confident in its reliability for the governorship election.”

Babalola added that INEC is working closely with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure a secure environment for all election stakeholders.

She said: “Security personnel will be deployed across all polling units, collation centers, and strategic locations to prevent any form of electoral malpractice or violence. I urge all citizens to remain calm and law-abiding throughout the election process.”