The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said about two million registered voters will participate in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo.
This is just as the electoral umpire disclosed that it will deploy Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) will be used to speedily upload polling unit results in the election.
This was disclosed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Toyin Babalola, who said the commission is committed to quality service delivery by upholding the ideals of credible elections in the state.
The REC who stated this in a seminar organized by the International Press Center (IPC) and funded by the European Union (EU) in Akure, the state capital, said INEC had made necessary arrangements to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.
Babalola said efforts and preparedness are in place to ensure a credible, inclusive, free, and fair gubernatorial election on November 16, 2024.
According to her, Ondo State has a total of 2,053,061 registered voters, and the portal for media registration for the election has opened.
Babalola also disclosed that a measure had been put in place to prevent the vote-casting process on election day due to faulty BVAS, with the availability of Registration Area Technicians who would be deployed to voting units to attend to faulty BVAS.
Also. Speaking, the Commission’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Temitope Akanmu, also confirmed that over two million voters would vote in the office circle election in the state.
Akanmu said the electoral umpire would ensure the use of BVAS and IREV are deployed during the election to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.
He said similar arrangements have been made in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
In his welcome address, the IPC Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the media has a critical role to play in promoting electoral integrity.
Arogundade noted that elections are the cornerstone of democratic societies, highlighting the importance of capacity training for journalists in preparation for election coverage.
He stressed that the dialogue aimed to foster collaboration among critical stakeholders, ensuring that the media remains fair, accurate, ethical, and professional in covering the upcoming Ondo elections.
He also underscored the importance of journalists’ involvement in voter education, helping to inform the electorate about their rights and responsibilities.
While speaking on the role of media in addressing key issues in the governorship elections, a Senior Lecturer at Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Dr Tunde Fajimbola,
charged all stakeholders to continue to work on improving the electoral process
Founder of the Journalism Clinic, Mr Taiwo Obe guided participants on asking the right questions and telling impactful stories during electoral coverage.
The CEMESO Executive Director Dr. Akin Akingbulu, in his remark, emphasized that the off-cycle elections are a significant feature of Nigeria’s electoral calendar.
He highlighted the need for journalists to be well-equipped to contribute to credible electoral processes.
The State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Leke Adegbite, commended IPC for its efforts in building journalists’ capacity through training.
He acknowledged that the media dialogue came at the right time and assured the organizers that participants would strive to achieve the set goals.
The programme was part of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGNII) project, with IPC serving as the lead partner under Component 4, which focuses on support to the media.
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