INEC Assures Ondo Voters Of Improved Processes, Learns Key Lessons From Edo Election

Akure, Ondo State- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged to enhance its processes for the upcoming Ondo governorship election, drawing lessons from recent challenges encountered in Edo State’s gubernatorial poll.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this commitment on Monday in Akure while assessing the commission’s readiness for the November 16 election.

Speaking to journalists in the Ondo State capital, Prof. Yakubu explained logistics as a major area for improvement, noting past delays in polling unit openings and result collation.

“We have learnt a lot of lessons, not only from the recent Edo election but also from previous elections. The first challenge we identified is logistics. We’re working to ensure that polling units open promptly on election day,” he said.

INEC’s goal, Yakubu added, is to ensure that the voting process is seamless, with faster and more transparent collation of results to bolster public trust.

The chairman’s visit also included a series of meetings with local INEC officials to review final preparations, aiming to avoid any logistical issues that have previously impacted voter experience.

“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,” he said.

He, therefore, assured the people of Ondo State of early arrival of election materials, adding that the results would be adequately managed.

The INEC chairman added that he came to the state to see things for himself and to meet with stakeholders with a view to having a peaceful, free, fair and credible election.

He further announced plans to observe the mock accreditation of voters in six designated polling units, with two in each senatorial district, scheduled for Wednesday.

“We’ve received encouraging reports from our state office in Akure, but we felt it necessary to conduct an on-ground readiness assessment. We’re here primarily to evaluate the situation, review the commendable work done by the state office, and meet with key stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organizations, the media, security agencies, and our staff, to gauge our preparedness. We’ll be here for a few days.

“Among the activities we’ll monitor is the mock voter accreditation, set to occur in polling units across six local government areas in the state’s three senatorial zones.

“Additionally, on Thursday, we will hold further discussions with stakeholders, and on the following day, the National Peace Committee will invite all stakeholders for the signing of the National Peace Accord,” he added.