By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Matthew Atungwu
Published on 2024-01-24 13:36:43
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced that it is fully prepared for the Akoko North-East and Akoko North-West Federal Constituency election, which is set to take place on Feb. 3 in Ondo State. According to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mrs Olutoyin Babalola, all non-sensitive materials have been received from the INEC headquarters and have been dispatched to the two Local Government Areas where the election will be held.
Babalola confirmed that an adequate number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines have been configured for the election, which will be conducted in 329 polling units. She also stated that a two-day training session for Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) at the INEC office in Akure is underway. Additionally, training sessions for Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers are scheduled to take place later on Friday, in preparation for the election.
It was reported that eight parties have presented candidates to contest for the federal constituency seat that was vacated by Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who was appointed as a minister by President Bola Tinubu. The parties and their candidates include Action Alliance – Aliyu Ajewole, All Progressives Congress (APC) – Ehindero Ifeoluwa, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) – Adesuyi Victoria Alaba, and Action Peoples Party – Ajagunla Olanrewaju A. Other candidates include those from the Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party, and the Social Democratic Party.
Babalola assured that adequate arrangements had been made for the transportation of personnel, non-sensitive, and sensitive materials to the polling units on the day of the election, with adequate security cover. She also mentioned that the police and other security agencies are collaborating with the commission to ensure the peaceful conduct of the by-election in the state.
The INEC is poised to ensure a smooth and successful election process in the Akoko North-East and Akoko North-West Federal Constituency, and is working in coordination with relevant stakeholders to achieve this goal.
