Redeem your image with Edo, Ondo elections – Group tells INEC

A group, the Election Monitor (EM), has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement the recommendations of various election observer groups on previous elections in the country.
National Coordinator of the group, Mr Abiodun Ajijola, made the call at a public presentation of the 2016 Edo Governorship Election Observation and Research Guide on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that implementation the recommendations would INEC in achieving credible governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states on Sept.10 and Nov. 26, respectively.

“Hands are being put on deck to make sure that these elections taking place in Edo and Ondo states are better than previous elections.
“It is believed that many lessons have been learnt from the plethora of conducted elections in the past one year.

“INEC is encouraged to ensure that it makes every effort to implement recommendations arising from these elections,” Ajijola said.

He urged the commission to ensure consistent adherence to the use of card readers at polling units during elections for accreditations and voting.

Ajijola recalled that manual accreditations were used in some polling units during previous elections, and said such situation created some problems in the process.
He urged INEC to ensure that all polling officers handling the card reader were properly trained.

He also advised the commission to make adequate logistics arrangement to ensure that electoral officers and materials were delivered at needed areas early.

An INEC officer at the event, Mr Bala Shitu, said that the card reader needed for the election in Edo had been deployed by the commission.

Shitu assured that the elections in Edo and Ondo state would not have problems as the commission had learnt from its mistakes in past elections.

He said that no fewer than 19 political parties would participate in the Edo poll, adding that materials for the election were ready, while security personnel and the ad hoc staff had been trained for the exercise. (NAN)