Lapses recorded in Edo election will not manifest in Ondo poll — INEC

The National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday assured that the forthcoming November 16 governorship election in Ondo State will be an improvement of the Edo State poll.

According to the INEC chairman, the lapses recorded in the Edo election will be tackled head-on in the Ondo poll.

Yakubu, who was in Ondo State to access the preparations for the forthcoming poll, disclosed that the electoral body is fully prepared.

The INEC chairman maintained that the electoral body will be meeting with stakeholders ahead of the election, adding that mock accreditation of voters will be observed in six local councils of the state.

Yakubu, who further stated that the peace accord will be signed by political gladiators in the state, said “We have received positive reports from our state office in Akure, but we decided also to come for a readiness assessment.

“So, we are here basically to look at what is happening and the good work that the state office has done. We are going to meet with the stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and security agencies, and we are also going to meet with our staff to assess our readiness. We will be here for a few days.

“We have learnt a lot of lessons not only from the last election but also from previous elections. Basically, there are two challenges. The first one is logistics for the election, so that polling units open promptly on election day.

“The second one is result management, and my assurance to voters in Ondo State is that they are going to see fast improvement in these two processes.”