We’re ready for Ondo poll, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said it has put machinery in motion to ensure that the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State is free and fair.
The electoral body confirmed that 1,654,205 legible voters who registered for the last 2011 general elections will be participating in the poll.
The INEC Director of Voters Registration, Mr. Emmanuel Akem, spoke in Akure, the state capital, at the public presentation of soft copies of the voters’ register to the 13 political parties that are participating in the election.
The INEC director explained that the female represented 50.10 per cent and the male 49.80 per cent of the electorate.
Akem said the voters’ register statistic showed that the students’ category has over 400,000 eligible voters.
He said: “The total number of persons registered during the 2011 voter registration in Ondo State is 1,654,205. The Addendum figure is 7,539, while the voters’ figure is now 1,646,666. Female voters carry the majority 50.10 per cent and the Male, 49.80 per cent.”
The Residential Electoral Commissioner (REC) Akin Orebiyi said INEC has provided enough logistics to ensure that its officials are not compromised during the poll.
He assured that electoral materials would arrive various units across the state before 8am to prevent irregularities.
Orebiyi said: “We are assuring all the good people of the state that the election materials will arrive various polling units very early. INEC will commence the distribution of voting materials by Friday morning which will be on October 19, and before the night all the materials will have been in all the units.
“All Party Agents, INEC officials and the security agents are expected to monitor all this material from the INEC office to the various units”
Orebiyi urged all 13 political parties to study the voter register carefully, adding that INEC cannot be the watchdog alone.
“We should check the register carefully and ensure that it is not tampered with. Every single person who registered in 2011 voter registration exercise will have the rights to participate during the election. INEC is ready for Ondo State Poll.
The REC urged the political parties to summit the forms of their polling agents before October 12, stressing that the electoral body is trying to guard against the movement of unauthorised people during the Election Day.
“We must account for every single political party agent that is why we have produce forms for them and they are expected to submit them before October 12, with two passports each.
At the units level, each of the political parties will present 2007 agents, 203 ward agents, 18 in each local government, and one each at state level.”