Ondo poll: INEC to deploy 4,814 BVAS, okays 700 journalists

The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed its plan to deploy 4,814 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, scheduled for November 16, 2024.

A senior INEC official, who anonymously spoke to Saturday PUNCH, stated that the commission was fully prepared to facilitate an efficient electoral process across the state’s 3,933 polling units and 222 collation centres.

These centres include 203 ward centres, 18 local government centres, and the state collation centres.

“4,814 BVAS devices will be deployed for the Ondo State governorship election,” the official said.
As part of the preparations, INEC has organised a mock voter accreditation set for November 6, 2024, aimed at testing the BVAS and ensuring a smooth electronic result upload to the INEC Result Viewing portal.

The exercise is expected to identify any issues before the main election day.

On June 13, 2024, INEC released the final list of candidates for the Ondo State election, revealing that 17 political parties would field candidates.
Notably, no female candidates are running for governorship, although the African Democratic Congress fielded a candidate who is a paraplegic.

Campaigns for the Ondo governorship, which began on June 19, 2024, will end at midnight on November 14, 2024.

Political parties have also submitted a total of 24,148 polling and collation agents to support the election process.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the forthcoming governorship election, has accredited 112 media organisations, involving over 700 journalists, technicians, and support personnel.
The media presence includes outlets spanning print, radio, television, and digital platforms, according to an announcement by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the fourth regular quarterly consultative meeting with media organisations in Abuja on Friday.

“The commission is glad to announce the accreditation of 112 national and international media organisations (newspaper, radio, television, and online) deploying over 700 journalists, technicians and other personnel to facilitate their coverage of the election.

“The detailed breakdown of the media organisations and the number of personnel to be deployed will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information,” he said.
Yakubu stressed the importance of the media in maintaining the integrity of the election, noting that accurate coverage was essential to counter misinformation and promote peaceful elections.

The INEC chairman stated, “I appeal to the media to intensify your accurate reportage that will ensure peaceful elections, especially now that campaigns by political parties and candidates are in full swing in the state.

“I also appeal to you to continue to serve as a counterforce against fake news, misinformation and disinformation.”

The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, highlighted the vital role of journalist safety and press freedom in supporting Nigeria’s democracy.

Isiguzo emphasised the need for security forces to safeguard journalists from intimidation, harassment, or harm.

“We urge security agencies to take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of media professionals, especially in light of the intensified threats and heightened risks that journalists face in today’s environment,” Isiguzo stated.

He added that clampdowns on journalists should have no place in a democracy.