The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the people of Ondo State to maintain orderliness at the polling units and comply with all the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines as they go out to cast their votes on Saturday.
Mr Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, gave the advice in an telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Friday.
Okoye urged the people to wear their face masks while going out to cast their votes in the Saturday governorship election in the state.
“It is important that voting takes place without compromising the health of the citizens.
“People should wear face mask or face covering in their interest and the greater interest of the society.”
Okoye assured the people of Ondo State that the Commission was committed to the delivery of free, fair and peaceful election in the state.
“The people of Ondo State have a golden opportunity of making a huge difference in the electoral landscape of Nigeria.
“The people of Ondo State should remain peaceful and vigilant and rebuff anti-democratic forces that may attempt to compromise the peaceful conduct of the election,” he said.
Okoye said that the commission was ready for the election as it had batched and delivered all the sensitive materials required for the conduct of the election to the 18 Local Government Areas of Ondo State on Thursday.
“The sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been moved to the various Registration Area Centers (RACS and SUPER RACS) from where they will be deployed at the first light to the various polling units.
“The Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOS) and the Registration Area Technical Assistants are giving the ad hoc staff quartered in these centres last minute pep talks and distributing the materials in accordance with the various polling units.
“These materials include voting cubicles, ballot papers, result sheets, the voters register for each polling unit, aprons, thermometers, hand sanitisers and all the forms required for the conduct of the election.”
Okoye added that INEC was confident that it would deploy on time to the various polling units.
“We are working collaboratively with the Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy in delivering our materials and protecting our personnel deployed to the riverine areas of Ilaje and Ese-Odo where we have more than 270 Polling Units.
“They have deployed their critical assets and platforms to ensure the peaceful conduct of election in these areas.
“The Police have also deployed and have assured the Commission and the people of Ondo State of their commitment to securing the electoral environment.”
