Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has vowed to sanction any officials who attempts to compromise the electoral process.
Professor Yakubu Mahmood, INEC Chairman gave the warning during a stakeholders’ forum on the forthcoming election held in Akure, the state capital, on Thursday.
Daily Trust reports that the event was attended by leaders and candidates of the political parties participating in the next week Saturday election exercise.
Speaking, Mahmood explained that the electoral body was prepared for the election and had put in place necessary measures to also safeguard the integrity of the exercise.
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He said the commission has conducted several meetings with necessary stakeholders in the electoral process both at the national, state, and local government levels to ensure smooth election.
“We have warned our staff that there will be consequences for dereliction of duty in any way or form. Tomorrow afternoon, I am going to address the staff, including the Electoral Officers from the 18 Local Government Areas.
“As you are aware, election is a multi-stakeholder activity. INEC has a role to play, and we have done so always in consultation with stakeholders. However, our role has to be complemented by all stakeholders,” the INEC boss said.
The INEC chairman, while reiterating the readiness of the electoral body for a peaceful election, also highlighted the efforts made so far to ensure the exercise is transparent, credible, and acceptable.
He revealed that the commission had already uploaded detailed information on collected and uncollected PVCs for each of the 3,933 polling units in the state on its website by making it public for scrutiny.
According to him, a total of 2,053,061 registered voters are expected to participate in the election.
He explained that a total of 111 domestic and international organizations, 3,554 observers, and over 100 media organizations have also been deployed for the election.
The INEC boss also added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal(IReV) would be deployed to enhance credibility and transparency.
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