The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), an election monitoring group, has said that adequate preparation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was largely responsible for Saturday’s (yesterday, November 16) peaceful governorship election in Ondo State.
The Board Chairperson of KDI, Dr. Abiola Afolabi who stated this yesterday in Akure after the assessment of the election, said: “Our field observers reported significant early arrival of election materials at the polling units, indicating the well-preparedness of INEC on logistical movement.
“We commend the relative professionalism and adequacy of policing in the Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
“We noted that the election process has been largely peaceful, with no major incidents leading to a breakdown of law and order in the early hours,” he said.
Afolabi, however, acknowledged that while poll workers arrived in many polling units early, there were isolated cases of late commencement of polls at certain locations.
“Of the 275 reports received from the field, 33.09 per cent indicated late commencement
“Observations indicate that election officials arrived at polling stations between 6:30a.m.. and 8:00 a.m,, while voting commenced in those locations of the 33 per cent reported, between 8:45am and 10:00a.m,” he was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as saying.
Afolabi added that KDI observed that the enforcement of restriction of movement and roadblocks by security personnel were handled professionally.
He said the security personnel seamlessly allowed movement of essential workers in most of the local government areas.
Afolabi said that Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned very well in the election adding that the pockets of incidence reported were quickly resolved making voting to hold peacefully.
According to him, the KDI’s Election Day Data Room received 20 reports of incidents of violence among which only that in Polling Unit 3, Ward 5 in ldanre Local Government led to disruption of the polling units.
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