Ahead of the governorship election in Ondo state this November, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has identified
all the flashpoints in the state, including the types of threats across all the 18 local government areas.
INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu who disclosed this in an interview on Monday after a meeting of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) said information of the flashpoints and types of threats on the forthcoming election had been shared with the security agencies.
Yakubu noted that the meeting became necessary to review preparations for the forthcoming governorship election which is only about a little over five months away.
The INEC boss appealed to political leaders in Ondo state as well as the population to continue to keep the peace, expressing delight that the commission had heard no major adverse report, so far, as it prepared for the election
He also expressed the confident that the peaceful atmosphere surrounding the forthcoming election would remain the same into the elections and beyond.
Yakubu said, “This is, essentially, a routine meeting we had with the commissioner of Police and the members of Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Elections Security (ICCES) in Ondo state to review our preparations for the forthcoming governorship election which is only about a little over five months from today.
“So we reviewed the challenges generally, these are areas of issues that are known, there’s nothing extra ordinary that requiring extraordinary action but we have recognised the need for us to continue to be vigilant working with the security agencies.
“All the flashpoints have been identified, including the types of threats across all the 18 local government areas and we have shared the information with the security agencies.
“But so far so good. So my appeal to political leaders in Ondo state as well as the population is to continue to keep the peace. We have heard no major adverse report as we prepare for the election and we are confident it would remain the same into the elections and beyond
Also speaking the Commissioner of Police Abayomi Oladipo assured that security agencies were fully prepared for the election
Oladipo further stated, “You can be very assured that election security is not new to us as an agency of government that is charged with internal security operations.
“We are fully prepared in conjunction with our sister security agencies you have seen around. At the moment we had deployed for the continues voter registration which is ongoing and that is the more reason why we appreciate the coming of the INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu who has come to interface with us to know our challenges and the level of our preparations.
“You should be rest assured that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun has mandated the deployment of personnel for this election that is coming up in November. The deployment had been done.
“Those who are coming to the election are already known and be rest assured that with the synergy and support of security agencies as you have seen around, we are good to go.”