The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the Osun state Governorship election will be transparent, inclusive and credible.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the assurance during Osun state stakeholders meeting held in Oshogbo Tuesday.
This is even as he urged the electorates to ensure that the obtain their Permanent Voters Cards which centers of collection has been devolved to 332 Wards across the State.
According to him, “As was the case in previous elections, various stakeholders would like to be given assurances in two critical areas. First is the transparency, inclusivity and credibility of the election; and, secondly, its security and peaceful conduct. We are taking both issues very seriously.
“For us in INEC, let me reassure political parties, candidates and the electorate that the choice of who becomes the next Governor of Osun State is entirely in the hands of voters. As I have repeatedly said in previous engagements with stakeholders, INEC will not take any action to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate.
He explained that the focus of INEC is on the processes and procedures as provided by law, adding that the Commission had successfully implemented 12 out of 14 activities contained in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election.
He said the only two outstanding activities are the last day of campaign by political parties which ends at midnight on Thursday 14th July 2022 and Election Day activities on Saturday 16th July 2022, while assuring that
Commission has taken every step and made every arrangement for the successful conduct of the Governorship election this weekend.
He said: “For a more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying five National Commissioners, twelve Resident Electoral Commissioners and many senior officials to support our State office here in Osun to deliver credible elections.
“Voter registration was carried out all over the State, including the devolution of the exercise to the 332 Wards across the State. We have printed and delivered the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for collection by all valid registrants in the State.”
He disclosed that the Commission has devolved the collection of PVCs from our 30 Local Government offices to each of the 332 Wards across the State, thereby increasing the number of collection centres and bringing the process closer to voters, saying that it has extended the last date for the collection of PVCs to Thursday 14th July 2022 i.e. 24 hours to the election.
Giving statistics, Prof Yakubu said: Of the 1,955,657 registered voters in Osun State, 1,479,595 (or 76%) have collected their cards as at Sunday 10th July 2022. We are also updating our records to provide detailed breakdown of PVCs collected by polling units. This will be concluded and made available on Friday 15th July 2022.
“This is important because the total number of PVCs collected will be used to determine the margin of lead principle, as against the total number of registered voters in line with our Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022 derived from the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
“To underscore our commitment to an inclusive, credible and transparent electoral process, the Commission is deploying assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to have a more pleasant voting experience on Election Day. Magnifying glasses, Braille Ballot Guide and Posters for voters with hard of hearing conditions will be deployed at polling unit level in areas of need based on data collected in collaboration with the PwD community.
“Similarly, our revised Regulations and Guidelines provide for priority to be accorded at polling units to PwDs without waiting in long queues during voting as is the case with elderly people, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Beyond these measures, we also want to make PwDs to get more involved in election administration like everyone else.
“In this regard, the 2022 Osun State Governorship election will also make history, being the first election in which INEC is deploying PwDs as ad hoc staff. Thirty-five (35) serving NYSC members with one form of disability or another have been identified, trained and engaged as ad hoc staff at polling unit level. I appeal to all stakeholders to cooperate with, and protect them, as well as all other ad hoc staff, in our effort to make our electoral process more inclusive and participatory.
“The Commission continues to deploy technology in the electoral process both as a matter of practice and a requirement of the law. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed for voter accreditation and uploading of election results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on Election Day. Steps have been taken to ensure that the BVAS machines function optimally during voter accreditation based on lessons learnt from the conduct of recent elections.
“The Commission has accredited Polling Agents nominated by political parties for the 3,763 polling units, 332 Ward collation centres, 30 Local Government Area collation centres and the State Collation Centre where the final declaration of result will be made. As an indication of the intense national and international interest in the 2022 Osun State Governorship Election, 87 Observer groups (79 domestic and 8 international) deploying a total of 7,790 field observers have been accredited for the election. Similarly, 94 media organisations (92 national and 2 international) deploying 624 journalists have been accredited to cover the election.”
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