As preparations ramp up for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that a total of 64,273 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were collected by voters across the state.
By Chimezie Godfrey
As preparations ramp up for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that a total of 64,273 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were collected by voters across the state.
This represents a collection rate of 71.6% out of the 89,777 PVCs issued, as confirmed by INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu at a consultative meeting with media representatives in Abuja on Friday.
The event marked INEC’s fourth and final quarterly meeting with media organizations this year, attended by prominent figures, including the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, and senior journalists from across Nigeria.
“This meeting comes on the eve of the Ondo State Governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, 16th November 2024, just two weeks away,” Prof. Yakubu stated. He appreciated the media’s efforts in mobilizing voters for PVC collection and announced that INEC would publish the collection figures for each of Ondo’s 3,933 polling units on its website.
He emphasized the importance of voter accreditation and the secure upload of election results to INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal, highlighting recent improvements made in both processes. A mock accreditation and result upload exercise is scheduled for 6th November across 12 polling units in six local government areas of the state.
In preparation for the Ondo election, INEC will also conduct a final readiness assessment next week, meet with stakeholders, and coordinate with security agencies. Prof. Yakubu revealed that the National Peace Committee, led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, would oversee a Peace Accord signing event for Ondo political parties and candidates on 8th November, to promote a peaceful election environment.
https://newsdiaryonline.com/kalu-assures-wike-of-legislative-support-to-improve-infrastructure-food-security/To date, INEC has accredited 112 national and international media organizations to cover the election, deploying over 700 journalists and support personnel. Prof. Yakubu urged the media to play an active role in countering misinformation, emphasizing that no major incidents of election-related violence have been reported so far.
With the Ondo election close at hand, INEC is also looking ahead to future commitments. As Prof. Yakubu noted, preparations are already underway for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election, with a detailed timetable now available for stakeholders on the INEC website.
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