…as Commission distributes sensitive materials to 16 LGAs
Hope James
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Professor Ayobami Salami has assured the citizens of the state that their votes will count saying that the House of Assembly elections scheduled for 18th March, will be free, fair and credible.
He made this known on Wednesday, during the distribution of sensitive electoral materials to the 16 Local Government Areas in the state.
The Saturday election is expected to hold Across the 26 constituencies in the state.
Prof Ayobami also noted that the distribution has been transparent, adding that Representatives of Political Parties, Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on election security were present to witness the smooth dispatch of the materials.
“The exercise is going on smoothly, all our electoral officers from the 16 LGAs in the state are here. The Reps of the political parties and also the members of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security and we are doing it in the open and everybody can attest to the transparency of the process.”
On the functionality of BVAS, he expressed confidence in the technology, adding that no complaint was lodged during the Presidential election.
“I want to say that it’s not correct to say there was malfunctioning of BVAS in the Presidential Election because nobody complained.”
“We are dealing with local politics; we have 26 Constituencies in the House of Assembly and each of them is a centre of focus on its own which make the stakes to be very high.
“As far as INEC is concerned, we are more prepared than we were during the Presidential election, and we would put everything in place to ensure a free, fair, credible and laudable election.”
“I want to appeal to the populace in the state who have registered and collected their PVCs to come out en masse and vote for the Candidates of their choice and I assure them that their vote will count.” He added.