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Candidates vying to occupy the Ondo State Government House will tomorrow face the electorate.
Over 1.7 million registered voters are expected to participate in tomorrow’s governorship election in the 18 local government areas of the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the number of registered voters increased from 1,822,346 in 2020 to 2,053,061 at the close of the last continuous voter registration (CVR).
Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, gave the following figures: 58,708 new voters were registered; 3,132 voters transferred their registration into the state, and 123 voters transferred out of the state, leaving the total number of new registered voters at 2,053,061.
Babalola stated that 55,859 cards were personally collected by new registrants and applicants for transfer and replacement of lost or damaged cards, with 72 per cent of registered voters having collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The REC further stated that out of the over two million registered voters, only 1,757,205 had collected their PVCs, while the uncollected PVCs were 295,856.
LEADERSHIP Friday reports that the state’s residents will troop out tomorrow to determine who governs the state in the next four years. The state has 203 electoral wards/ registration areas and 3,933 polling units.
Meanwhile, the Commission distributed sensitive materials to all 18 local government areas of the state on Thursday ahead of the polls.
Monitoring the exercise at the Akure branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Ondo State REC, Babalola, assured the residents of the state, political parties and all stakeholders of the commission’s readiness to conduct a transparent, free and fair election.
The REC explained that the early distribution of the sensitive materials was to show that the commission was ready for the election, adding that they would be moved to the 18 local governments with the help of security agencies.
She, however, promised that the electoral umpire would be transparent in the election.
She said: “You can see that the distribution exercise is going very smoothly. (Officials of) the farthest local governments have started moving to their local governments. All the other local governments have received their materials, are checking, and are loading the vehicles.
“I’m sure in another one and a half hours, we should be out of it. You can see the logistics we distributed today, just 10 minutes after noon. The vehicles are already moving…The movement is not local government by local government. We are doing simultaneous movement.
“The difficult terrain on the water is in Ilaje and Ese-Odo. We’ve identified those areas, and we are going to have boats that will transport men and materials. We also have the support of the Navy. They are giving us gunboats to secure the movement.
“For the land where we have difficult terrain, we will move out to the place where vehicles can reach, and we will continue the rest with suitable means of transportation.”
Babalola appealed to the political parties to eschew violence on election day, adding that sensitive materials were being distributed to ensure that no ward or polling unit was left out.
Meanwhile, both the chairman of APC in the state, Engr Ade Adetimehin and the state chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr. Adesanya Olaoluwa, commended INEC for its transparency in the exercise.
According to them, all the political parties participating in the election were ready to cooperate with the commission.
The Coalition of INEC Accredited Election Observer Group, led by Comrade Fidelis Nweke, asked politicians to change their attitude to public office and follow the path of sanity and decorum for the overall public good.
Nweke said, ‘The manipulation of any electoral process leads to the emergence of an unpopular candidate as it is done against the wishes of the electorate. It is, therefore, anathema and anti-democratic, as such acts are against civilised conduct by all standards.
“From the statistics available, Ondo State citizens have always demonstrated exemplary behaviour during elections, and this is yet another opportunity to advance further the course of democracy and the rule of law and order.”
Meanwhile, another election observer group, Yiaga Africa, has urged the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure it passes the integrity test, which it will be subjected to on Saturday during the gubernatorial election.
The group condemned violent attacks in some towns in the Northern senatorial district and Idanre local government in the central senatorial district of the state.
It also charged all security agencies on duty during the election to carry out their legitimate duties without being partial to any political party.
Speaking on the expectations of the people from INEC, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, Chair for the 2024 Ondo Election Mission, Yiaga Africa, urged INEC to ensure election materials arrived early at the polling units.
“This approach will help address the late commencement of polls that has been observed in previous elections
“We urge INEC to enhance coordination and communication with the transport companies and unions that provide logistics support.”
Yiaga Africa also charged security agencies to arrest anyone caught in vote-buying and selling for prosecution to stamp out the menace.
Nwagwu noted that politicians’ resort to vote-buying and selling had greatly undermined the election process in the country.
He said, “We encourage security agencies to strictly enforce laws and regulations against voter inducement, vote-buying, ballot box snatching, and other electoral malpractices: arrest and prosecute individuals and groups found engaging in illegal activities.”
Meanwhile, political parties participating in the poll are putting final touches in their campaigns by engaging the state’s residents.
While the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held the grand finale of its campaign in Akure, the state capital, on Thursday, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held a special interactive section with all the stakeholders in the state.
At the PDP campaign rally, Bala Mohammed, chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State governor, appealed to the state’s residents to come and vote for the party’s candidate tomorrow.
Bala Mohammed, flanked by other PDP governors – Bayelsa State governor Douye Diri, Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, Adamawa State governor Ahmadu Fintri, and the Acting national chairman of the party Umar Damagum, among others, said the suffering of the masses in the state would stop on Saturday if they vote massively for the PDP.
Addressing the crowd, Damagum asked the state’s people to reject suffering by voting out APC in the Saturday governorship election, while Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde urged the people to wait after casting their votes to ensure their votes were counted.
Meanwhile, at an interactive event organised for stakeholders by the Special Engagement Committee of the APC National Campaign Council for the governorship election, the governor of the state and candidate of APC, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, appealed to his supporters across the state not to be complacent in their efforts ahead of the poll.
The governor explained that the remaining hours before the election should be used to intensify the mobilisation drive towards delivering victory for the party on November 16.
The event was attended by the chairman of the committee and Governor of Katsina state, Dikko Umar Radda, who was represented by his deputy, Farouk Lawal; immediate past deputy governor of Edo state, Phillip Shaibu; the APC national vice chairman (South West), Hon Isaacs Kekemeke; and the secretary of the committee, Femi Adekambi, among other party leaders and stakeholders.
3 Candidates Withdraw For Gov Aiyedatiwa
Meanwhile, within 48 hours of the election, three gubernatorial candidates have withdrawn from the race, and instead endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC.
The candidates are those of the Accord Party, the National Rescue Movement (NRM) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The endorsement came during a solidarity visit to the governor, during which Dr. Ajibola Falaye, candidate of the Accord Party, spoke on behalf of the three parties and praised Governor Aiyedatiwa’s dedication to the progress of Ondo State, citing his achievements in office.
The other two are the governorship candidate of the NRM, Hon. Jenyo Ataunoko and the deputy governorship candidate of the ADC, Mr Olaide Rasheed Ibrahim.
Dr. Falaye stated that they decided to back the governor for Saturday’s election based on observations of his longstanding commitment to public service, which dates back to his time as deputy governor.
“We have been watching him, and his doors are always open to all,” Falaye stated, commending the governor for his inclusive approach to governance and for prioritising the welfare of residents.
The governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, and the director general of the campaign, Hon Abiola Makinde, among others, joined Governor Aiyedatiwa in receiving the three candidates.
Police Deploy 22,000 Officers
The Nigeria Police Force has assured residents of Ondo State of its readiness for the election this weekend. Consequently, it has deployed over 22,000 officers to the 18 local government areas ahead of the gubernatorial election.
The deputy inspector-general of police in charge of the Ondo State elections, DIG Sylvester Abiodun, disclosed this in a press briefing at the Ondo State Police Command headquarters, Akure, where he addressed officers deployed for election duty.
He pledged the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies for the forthcoming 2024 Ondo State Gubernatorial Elections.
Force PRO ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement quoted the DIG as saying that “the Force had begun effective deployments of personnel across all 18 local government areas, 203 Wards, and 3,933 polling units in the state, with the presence of at least four police officers in collaboration with officers representing other election security agencies at each polling unit to ensure a smooth poll.”
To emplace proactive measures against all forms of security threat and interference during the electoral process, the DIG emphasised the importance of Intelligence gathering and firmness.
“These approaches are essential for upholding safety and security, as they assist in identifying and preventing electoral fraud, including vote-buying and manipulation.
“By leveraging intelligence gathering, the police can ensure a secure, free, and fair electoral process. To this end, the Force has carried out a comprehensive threat analysis and as well, deployed adequate personnel to areas identified as vulnerable points during the elections,” DIG Abiodun stated.
He further encouraged a collaborative effort between the Nigeria Police Force, other election security agencies and the electorate.
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