Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, on Thursday toured two local government offices of the commission in Osun State to assess the level of readiness for the August 15 governorship election.
The two local government offices he visited are Osogbo and Ede South. Osogbo LGA has 15 Registration Areas while Ede South has 10.
The INEC Chairman who was accompanied by some INEC National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun, said the commission is “operationally, technologically and logistically prepared” for the election.
During the visit, Prof. Amupitan inspected hardware, electoral materials and other non-sensitive items at the facility.
Electoral Officer for Ede South, Ogunjide Ololade who conducted the delegation round the facilities, assured that the Registration Area Centre (RAC) would be activated “as soon as possible,” and personnel moved to the field to ensure proper monitoring during the election.
He, however, appealed to the INEC Chairman for assistance with the perimeter fencing of the premises to enhance the security of materials and personnel.
Prof. Amupitan had disclosed during the peace accord signing ceremony by political parties, that the Osun governorship election would be conducted in 30 local government areas and the Modakeke Area Office, comprising 332 Registration Areas and 3,763 polling units.
According to him, 10 local government areas are marked as hotspots that require specialised security deployment. These are Atakumosa East and West, Boripe, Ede North and South, Ife Central, Ifedayo, Ila, Osogbo, Ifelodun, and Oriade Local Government Areas.
He however said that members of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) have assured adequate security during the election, and warned that the commission would not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force.
“We are proactively deploying intelligence-led security measures to every polling unit and collation center.
“We will meet any attempt to disrupt this election with the full, unyielding weight of the law,” Prof. Amupitan stated.