There’ll be adjustments in Ondo polls, we’ve learnt many lessons, says INEC

• The commission identified logistics for the election as an area to improve on.
• It added result management as the second aspect to make improvement on.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said that lessons learned from previous elections will be applied to the coming elections.

The Ondo state governorship election has been scheduled for November 16, 2024

The commission identified areas of improvement from the Edo election and will implement necessary adjustments to ensure a smoother process in Ondo state.

Yakubu assured voters of a smooth election, citing logistics and result management as key areas improved since the Edo election.

According to the INEC Chairman, who revealed this in Akure, the state capital, the electoral body is fully prepared for the poll, hence his arrival in the state to meet with stakeholders ahead of the election.

Yakubu, who stated that mock accreditation of voters will be observed in six local councils of the state on Wednesday, added that the peace accord will also be signed by the political gladiators in the state.

He said: “We have received positive reports from our state office in Akure, but we also decided to come for a readiness assessment.

“So, we are here basically to look at what is happening and the good work that the state office has done.

“We are going to meet with the stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and security agencies, and we are also going to meet with our staff to assess our readiness. We will be here for a few days.

“One of the activities we are also going to observe is the mock accreditation of voters, which will take place in 16 polling units across six local government areas in the three senatorial zones of the state.

“In addition to other activities, we are also going to meet with the stakeholders on Thursday, and the following day, the National Peace Committee will also invite all the stakeholders for the signing of the National Peace Accord.

“We have learnt a lot of lessons not only from the last election but also from previous elections.
Basically, there are two challenges. The first one is logistics for the election so that polling units open promptly on election day.

“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.”

While at the state headquarters of the commission, the INEC Chairman inaugurated a newly built Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) storage facility stating that “this facility is an essential component in maintaining the integrity of our electoral process.”