ODIEC denies cancellation of LG polls in Ondo

The Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) has described as untrue ,rumours that it is planning to cancel the local government election which was postponed indefinitely.

The election was scheduled for 18th April, 2020 but the electoral body postponed it as part of preventive measures against the spread of deadly coronavirus pandemic in the state.

In statement by Rotimi Olorunfemi
Commissioner, Media and Publicity, of ODIEC however expressed disappointment that some mischievous element have been spreading wrong information that the electoral body has concluded plans to cancel the election.

The statement reads “Since the announcement of the suspension of the election however, the Commission and the public space had been inundated with lots of misinformation, insinuations and misgivings as to the motives of the Commission and the reason for the indefinite suspension of the election.

The Commission wishes to make it abundantly clear that the 2020 Local Government Election in Ondo State has not been aborted nor cancelled as some mischief makers want the general public to erroneously believe.

The Commission wishes to reiterate that the suspension of the election and rescheduling to a date to be announced later was necessitated by the fact that some of the procedures and activities that would lead to the conduct of a very credible election properly so-called like training of ad-hoc staff, campaigns by political parties, voting and collation of results (all which will require clustering and congregation of large number of people), having been and/or will be affected by the government COVID-19 directives and policies, the date of the election will inevitably change.

The Commission assures of its readiness to re-kick start the process again within the shortest possible time as soon as there is an improvement in the situation in the country especially in Ondo State as we await further government directives on the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts geared at its curtailment.

The Commission will at all times obey Government directives on the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Commission wishes to reassure members of the public that having gone far in the preparation for the elections which had seen to the procurement of some sensitive and non-sensitive materials, distribution of some non-sensitive materials to all Local Government Areas, recruitment and shortlisting of ad-hoc staff, pasting of Lists of Candidates in all the Wards, Local Government Areas and the Headquarters and the display of Voters’ Registers in all the 3009 polling units in the State as required by law.

With this level of preparedness, the conduct of the 2020 Local Government elections in Ondo State therefore becomes invariably inevitable but at an appropriate date to be announced by the Commission after due consultation with relevant stakeholders and political parties as agreed at a recent meeting. ”