Local Govt Poll : No electronic voting in Ekiti -EKSIEC

As Ekiti State prepares for Local Government election today, the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) has said the election would be conducted manually.

The EKSIEC commissioner in charge of information, Soji Oloketuyi made the clarification on a popular interactive program, Buttomline on 92.7, Cruise FM, Ikere Ekiti anchored by a broadcast Journalist, Joshua Adegbite and monitored in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.

The EKSIEC Commissioner in charge of Logistics and Planning, Yetunde Fosudo who was also at the interactive program maintained that adequate preparation had been put in place to ensure a free and fair election.

Oloketuyi assured the electorate of adequate preparation and informed that six out of the eighteen registered political parties are participating in the election which included APC, YPP, UPGA and so on.

Adegbite asked why the major opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party would not be participating? Oloketuyi quickly added, ‘We as a commission did our own part, we don’t have a baby, we placed advert for the election and the PDP came on the last day through their representative to ask for extension, the EKSIEC chairman, Justice Aladejana met with us again and we had to extend the submission as requested by them but still, they refused to participate’.

Fosudo further explained, saying ‘Non sensitive materials had been moved to all the Local Governments and the sensitive materials will be moved tonight and election is taking place in the Sixteen Local Governments and the twenty LCDA except the newly created Oreniwa LCDA.’

She assured that all the security agents including police, DSS, NSCDC, road marshal have been mobilised to ensure that there is protection for the electorates.

When asked to comment on the preparation so far compared to the previous election. Fasudo informed, ‘The previous Local Government election witnessed large turnout to about 33 percent of the total vote and we are expecting a better result’.

EKSIEC informed that the election will start by 8 am and end by 2 pm, adding that there would not be movement of vehicle in the course of the election.