2024 election: INEC Distributes Sensitive materials To LGA In Ondo.
By Olusegun HOSEA.14.th 2024.
Ahead of the Saturday, Governorship election in Ondo State slated on the 16th November 2024. The Independent National Electoral Commission-INEC has started the distribution of the sensitive materials the eighteen local government in the state . Speaking with the Pressmen today at the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Akure Branch, Mrs Babalola Oluwarotimi -who is the Resident Electoral Commissioner-REC has said the exercise was going on smoothly without any hitch. Her response to the question of assessment of the whole exercise shows that the distribution of the materials was going on smoothly.
QS: So far now, what is your assessment of this exercise? ” Okay. The exercise is okay , this distribution exercise is going on very smoothly. The farthest local governments have started moving to their local governments. All the other local governments, they have received their materials, they are checking them, and they are loading the vehicles and if I’m sure in another one and a half hours we should be out of it. You can see the logistics. We are dealing, we are distributing today and this is just 10 minutes after 12 .”
Similarly, the REC said most vehicles have loaded the materials and they have started moving to their destination with the security assigned to each vehicle that would pilot the material to their destination. Her words ” The vehicles are already moving. Ilaje has left, Ese- Odo has left, they are loading, they will soon leave. Then we move to the next set, Akoko, North East, North East, North West, South East, South West, Owo and Ose.
They have collected all their materials and they will leave any moment from now. Then Odigbo, Ondo East, Ondo West, Idanre, Axis, they are leaving. We are on course, we are doing it and we are moving.”
In another development, Mrs Babalola Oluwarotimi said the movement of the materials was not by local government as the commission is doing it simultaneously. “The movement is not local government by local government. We are doing it simultaneously movement. It’s not only Ilaje and Ese-Odo,. On the land, We have difficult terrains. We have on land and we have on water. The difficult terrain on water, they are in Ilaje and Ese-Odo and we have identified those areas and we are going to have boats that will transport men and materials.”
She explained that the security agencies are backing them up by giving them full security and other logistics support toward ensuring that the exercise is hitch free. ” We also have the support of the Navy. They are giving us gunboats to secure the movement. For the land where we have difficult terrain, we will move out to the place where vehicle can reach and we’ll continue the rest with suitable means of transportation”.
APC CHAIRMAN RESPONSE
Also, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress -APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin who was on ground to witness the distribution of the sensitive INEC materials testified to the smooth movement of the materials to their various locations. He said there was no problems at all as the whole exercise was going on smoothly.His words “The whole thing is open. The whole thing is transparent. And you can see it yourself there is no problem with it in the society.
He explained how his political party has canversed across the length and breath of the state to seek for vote from the electorates. ” We’ve canversed, we’ve campaigned throughout the 3,933 polling units, 203 votes, 18 in government. And the people are well convinced that APC is the party of their choice.”
Adetimehin said there was nothing like political clashes between his party and other political parties in Idanre. That what happened was just a collusion between the party and a Cocoa buyer .”
So how will you respond to the recent clash in your town, Idanre? Some clashes, it was reported that there were some clashes between the APC and the polling unit.
As: Well, thank you. You said there was a report. You never assess or confirm yourselves.
What happened, it is non-political. APC, after the state rally, they were returning. There was collusion between the cocoa buyers and then the man fell and he died.
That is non-political. So nobody turned it to be a political issue. You can see the bag of cocoa and other things, material there, when he lost his life. May his soul continue to rest in perfect peace.
Sir, there are some parties that were alleging INEC of being biased on your political party?
As: Which party? Which party? Don’t use sweet language.You say some. We are the party. All of us are here.
We’ve had more than 10 meetings with INEC. Such issue was never raised there. So after meeting, you start raising some issues that is baseless, allegations that is unfunded.
How do you want people to react to this exercise ?
I said it at the beginning of this interview that you can see it yourself. You can feel it. These people, they are honest.
The whole thing is open. The whole thing is transparent. And you can see it yourself there is no problem with it in the society..
