PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF THE NIGERIA CIVIL SOCIETY SITUATION ROOM ON THE ONDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION SCHEDULED TO HOLD ON SATURDAY, 16TH NOVEMBER 2024
-Issued in Akure at 12:30pm on Friday, 15th November 2024
INTRODUCTION
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has been observing the process of the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday, 16th November 2024. The Situation Room and its partner organisations have deployed 1000 trained and accredited observers and will crowdsource voters’ observation of the election using technology. This is aimed at ensuring that the election is conducted in conformity with the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC guidelines and that the process guarantees a fair, inclusive and credible outcome.
In the build-up to this election, Situation Room embarked on a series of activities and engagements with relevant stakeholders. These included dialogue sessions with the electoral management body, political parties, security agencies and civic groups from Ondo State as well as a governorship debate that provided an opportunity for candidates to answer questions regarding their manifesto, enabling voters to assess the candidates based on communal issues.
Situation Room notes with some levels of caution and optimism, the generally calm atmosphere pervading the election environment and acknowledges that it vastly differs from the tension-generating environment of past elections in the State. Situation Room hopes that this positive trend will endure till the end of the election process and beyond. However, this positive state of affairs does not obviate the existence of pockets of incidents and breakout of low-key political disagreements in the State.
In particular, Situation Room notes the intolerance shown by supporters of some of the contending parties with regard to the forceful removal and destruction of rivals’ advertising boards and posters. We, therefore, caution against such behaviours of intolerance.
Given the continuous fall in voter turnout in recent elections, stakeholders should intensify voter education efforts, particularly at the last minute, to combat voter apathy and ensure that citizens understand the importance of their participation in this election.
Following our preliminary assessment, we wish to make specific comments on the following issues:
OBSERVATIONS
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
INEC plays a pivotal role in ensuring the credibility of this election. While we commend the assurances provided by the Resident Electoral Commissioner regarding INEC’s preparedness, it is vital to note the generally acknowledged lapses in the last Governorship election held in Edo State. It is gratifying to note INEC’s promise to learn from the lessons gathered from the Edo election. We hope that INEC will show the willingness and capacity to live up to that promise.
Timely Opening of Polling Units and Election Logistics: INEC should ensure that polling units open on time, as any delay can disenfranchise voters and undermine the credibility of the process. Inefficient logistics, such as election officials arriving late or being misdirected, have hampered previous elections. INEC must ensure vehicles and personnel are adequately briefed on their routes to avoid delays. INEC should also ensure that materials already deployed to the RACs and Super RACs are moved to the polling units on time.
BVAS Functionality: The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is expected to function optimally based on the report from the Mock test. INEC must ensure that the trained personnel are readily available to handle technical issues swiftly, ensuring that voters are not disenfranchised due to faulty equipment.
Priority Voting for Voters with Disability and Vulnerable Persons: The Situation Room encourages INEC to ensure that people with disability and other vulnerable persons like pregnant women and the aged are accorded priority attention at polling units and ensure assistive materials are effectively utilized.
