Ahead of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State, the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has convened a meeting with heads of security agencies in the state.
As reported by Daily Post, the gathering, held at the state office of the commission in Alagbaka, Akure, aimed to facilitate discussions among the electoral body and relevant stakeholders to devise strategies for ensuring a smooth electoral process.
Under the umbrella of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, the meeting chaired by the INEC boss addressed potential challenges that could disrupt preparations for the November 16 polls.
Representatives from various security agencies and other stakeholders present at the meeting included the Police, Department of State Services, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Youth Service Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigerian Army. Additional participants comprised the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Federal Fire Service, and the National Orientation Agency.
Assuring residents of a seamless electoral process, Yakubu urged politicians to adhere to electoral regulations, revealing that over 200,000 Permanent Voter Cards remain uncollected in the state.
Asserting INEC’s impartiality, Yakubu reiterated that the power to elect the state’s next governor rests with the electorate.
“This is going to be the third governorship election conducted by the present commission in Ondo State. I was here in 2016 for the same purpose. I was here in 2020 for the governorship election, and by God’s grace, we’ll be here again in November 2024 for yet another governorship election.
“We reviewed the challenges generally. There are areas with issues that are known; there is nothing extraordinary requiring some extraordinary action, but we recognise the need for us to continue to be vigilant when working with the security agencies.
“All the flash points have been identified, including the types of threats across the 18 local government areas, and we have shared the information with the security agencies who will do the needful.”
