The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State, on Wednesday, distributed sensitive materials ahead of the Akoko North-East and Akoko North-West Federal constituency bye-election scheduled to hold on Feb 3rd, 2024.
The bye-election is to fill the vacancy left by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who resigned as a member of the House of Representatives from the constituency.
Sensitive materials distributed in the presence of security agencies and representatives of political parties are; ballot papers, result sheets and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ,while the non-sensitive materials had earlier been distributed to the two local governments.
Professor Kunle Ajayi, INEC National Commissioner, supervising Osun, Ogun and Ondo, who monitored the exercise, said that the distribution of the ballot papers was to show that the commission was ready for the bye-election.
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Ajayi, who said that the commission would be transparent in the conduct of the election, appealed to the political parties to eschew violence on the election day.
The commissioner said that the sensitive materials were being distributed today to ensure that no ward or polling unit was ommitted or does not get materials for the election.
“Our personnel to conduct the election have been warned not to be involved in any incriminating act during the election as anyone caught will face the wrath of the law,” he warned
“We want people to have confidence in INEC’s conduct of a free and fair election because we don’t have any political party, we don’t have any candidate, we are neutral in everything that we are doing.
“We are going to reflect that again in Saturday’s bye-election,” he said.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, read the riot act to all the staff conducting the election and promised that punishment will be meted out to whoever violates the electoral law.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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