Adebayo Adenrele
…as INEC moves Voters from congested polling units
As the 2023 general elections gather momentum, political parties in Ekiti State have signed an agreement to ensure that the elections is devoid of violence.
The political parties, during the session, tagged: “Stakeholders’ Meeting and Signing of Peace Accord towards 2023 General Elections” include All Progressive Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Social Democratic Party and others.
The essence of the peace accord according to the Ekiti State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Ayobami Salami was to sensitise political actors in the state against incendiary campaigns, religious or ethnic or tribal incitement.
According to him, “it is to ensure that no candidate or political party make any speech that will cause violence before, during and after the general elections.
“It is to also encourage their members, including supporters to adhere strictly to all laws and rules guiding the conduct of the general elections and support INEC and Security Agencies in a bid to ensure a free and fair elections devoid of violence.
“What they are doing today is for them to vow that they will not engage in a campaign that will be characterized by religious or ethnic or tribal incitement fought by themselves or by all agents.
“That no candidate or political party will make any speech that till cause any form of violence before, during and after the general elections.
“To encourage their members, including their supporters to adhere strictly to all laws and rules guiding the conduct of the general elections.
“To support all the Institutions of Government particularly, INEC and Security Agencies in a bid to ensure a free and fair elections devoid of violence.”
As part of measures to curtail long queues on the election day, the REC Chairman said the commission has concluded the process while the register of the affected polling units have been printed which shall be displayed on Saturday, 11th February, 2023.
“During the last Stakeholders’ Meeting held in December, 2022, I briefed this gathering of the intention of the Commission to migrate some Voters who fall within densely populated polling units with the aim at decongesting such polling units and give room for the sparsely populated ones.
“I am glad to inform this gathering that the Commission in this state has concluded the process and the register of the affected polling units have been printed and shall be displayed in Saturday, 11th February, 2023 at the affected polling units.”
