The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured residents of Ekiti State of a peaceful, transparent and credible governorship election on June 20, declaring that comprehensive security arrangements and advanced electoral technology have been put in place to safeguard the integrity of the poll.
Speaking during a mock accreditation exercise in Ado-Ekiti, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the Commission had concluded extensive preparations aimed at ensuring a violence-free election across the state.
Professor Amupitan disclosed that security personnel are being deployed from various parts of the country to identified flashpoints, with the objective of protecting voters, electoral officials and election materials before, during and after the election.
According to him, INEC has worked closely with security agencies to identify areas of potential concern and develop proactive measures to prevent any breach of peace throughout the electoral process.
The INEC Chairman also expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the mock accreditation exercise, describing the test as successful and reassuring.
He noted that the device accredited voters within seconds and effectively detected attempts by individuals to verify accreditation outside their designated polling units, underscoring the Commission’s commitment to safeguarding the credibility of the process.
Professor Amupitan further explained that the BVAS now incorporates additional safeguards that prevent presiding officers from uploading results that do not correspond with figures entered on official result sheets, a development he said would further strengthen transparency and public confidence in the election.
Addressing concerns about possible delays in densely populated polling units, he stated that INEC’s polling unit splitting arrangement and deployment strategy had been carefully designed to facilitate seamless accreditation and voting across the state.
The Commission, he added, has already distributed and batched all non-sensitive election materials, while electoral officers in the state have confirmed their readiness for the exercise.
Expressing confidence in the level of preparedness achieved so far, Professor Amupitan assured Ekiti residents that voting would commence as scheduled and that the Commission remained fully committed to conducting a free, fair and credible governorship election.
With security deployment intensified, election materials in place and the BVAS technology successfully tested, INEC says all arrangements have been concluded to enable eligible voters across Ekiti State to participate in a peaceful and transparent electoral process next Saturday.
