The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has given assurances that the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State will be free and fair.
He promised that it would also be better organized than previous elections.
The INEC chairman gave the assurances on Monday during his visit to the state headquarters of the commission in Akure, the state capital.
According to him, the electoral umpire has gained valuable lessons from the recent Edo governorship election and other elections in the area of logistics and results management which should make the Ondo polls better.
He said, “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 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.”
Professor Yakubu said he was in Ondo to personally assess the preparations for the November 16 polls and to meet with relevant stakeholders.
He said, “We have received positive reports from our state office in Akure but we decided also to come for 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.”
He added that he would be around for a few days and during the stay, the peace accord would also be signed.
“We will be here for a few days. One of the activities we are also going to observe is the mock accreditation of voters which will take place in 16 polling units across six local government areas in the three senatorial zones of the state.
“In addition to other activities, we are also going to meet with the stakeholders on Thursday, and the following day, the National Peace Committee will also invite all the stakeholders for the signing of the national peace accord,” the INEC Chairman revealed.