..Sensitive materials to arrive next week

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yakubu Mahmood, announced that all political stakeholders will be permitted to inspect sensitive materials for the upcoming governorship election in Ondo State scheduled for next Saturday.

Yakubu made this statement during his ongoing visit to the commission’s offices throughout the state, emphasizing the importance of transparency in the distribution and inspection of sensitive materials for the election.

He explained that his visit aimed to assess the level of preparedness for the election and to engage with stakeholders to ensure a peaceful, free, fair, and credible electoral process.

Expressing confidence in the commission’s readiness, Yakubu stated that sensitive materials for the election are set to arrive next Tuesday. He detailed that inspections by major stakeholders will commence on Wednesday, followed by the transportation of materials to local government areas on Thursday.

“With 10 days to the election, the level of preparedness is very impressive,” he noted. “Very rarely will you find the commission this prepared before an election, which is why I have been touring local governments to ensure they have everything necessary at this stage.”

He continued, “The only thing remaining is the sensitive materials, which will arrive on Tuesday next week. On Wednesday, all parties, candidates, observers, security agencies, media representatives, and commission personnel will inspect these sensitive materials.

“On Thursday, we will begin transporting the materials to local governments, starting from the farthest locations to the nearest. There will be another inspection at the local government level before moving the materials to the RAC center, with elections scheduled to begin on Saturday morning.”

During his visit to the Akure North Local Government electoral office in Iju Ita-Ogbolu, Yakubu learned from Electoral Commissioner Mrs. Dije Mustapha that they are currently 85 percent prepared for the election, with the arrival of sensitive materials being the final requirement.

“We are very prepared; we are about 85% ready. The only thing we are waiting for is the sensitive materials,” Mustapha stated.

Ezekiel Oyediran, the Electoral Commissioner of Akure South, confirmed that they have received nearly all the necessary non-sensitive materials for the election, which have been organized into registration areas and polling units.

“We are fully ready to conduct a free, fair, credible, inclusive, and conclusive election in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election,” he added.