Written by 
• We’re Fully Prepared, Determined To Smoothly Manage Poll – INEC, Police Assure
• APC, PDP Governors Besiege Ondo
•Tinubu Urges Decorum Before, After Elections
• INEC Obeys Court Order, Changes LP Candidate Hours To Poll
With staunch assurances by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies that they have perfected preparations for the Ondo State governorship election, eligible voters in the state are eager to determine the fate of the 18 candidates contesting for the position.
Notably among the contestants are the incumbent Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both of whom were are at different times the deputy to the late former governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
With 1.7 million Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) collected, the contest is no doubt a straight battle between Aiyedatiwa and Ajayi.
The other contestants include Abbas Mimiko (ZLP), Sola Ebiseni (LP), Otitoloju Akinmurele (YPP), Bamidele Akingboye (SDP), Omolere Akinuli (AA), Ajibola Abraham (Accord), Adeyemi Nejo (ADC), Olugbenga Edema (NNPP), Babatunde Alli (PRP), Adekunle Ajayi (AAC), Isaac Ogunfeyimi (APM), Babatunde Fadoju (APP), Olatunji Popoola (APGA), and Kehinde Paul (YP).
Aside from Dr. Abbas Mimiko of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), the other candidates are from the southern senatorial district due to the unwritten rotational agreement in the state that has been adopted since 1999.
Ahead of the contest, President Bola Tinubu has urged all stakeholders and the electorate in the election to uphold peace and decorum as they carry out their civic responsibilities without fear before or after the exercise.
President Tinubu, in a statement on Friday issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said he expects a democratic process in the state that will genuinely reflect the people’s will and power to freely choose their leaders.
He commended the INEC for its diligent preparations for the election, particularly its timely distribution of sensitive materials across all 18 local councils of the state.
He also acknowledged the deployment of security men to maintain law and order, just as he commended the assurances from the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff that the personnel will act professionally and adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act to ensure a credible electoral process.
President Tinubu reminded all political stakeholders, especially the candidates, that the people bestow the privilege to govern, and this right must be respected and not undermined.
He stated that it is in the best interest of all Nigerians to ensure a free and fair election and consolidate the nation’s over 25 years of democratic governance.
Meanwhile, the INEC has dropped Olusola Ebiseni as the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in tomorrow’s Ondo State governorship election.
The commission said the decision was in obedience to an appellate court judgment ordering the umpire to restore Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus as the candidate of the LP.
The commission in a statement on its X handle on Friday said it has restored Festus, whose name was first published as the LP candidate for the 2024 Ondo State governorship election.
The Guardian observed that the buildup to the election was devoid of the usual political razzmatazz associated with governorship elections due poor engagement with the electorate by the participating political parties.
The situation, according to findings, was not unconnected with the economic downturn in the country as well as a lack of faith in the electoral process and the political gladiators.
Akure, the state capital, was calm and devoid of the usual last minute rush to purchase necessary foodstuffs in preparation for the election.
But the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olu Agunloye, told The Guardian that the relaxed mood across the state capital was not enough to judge.
He said major stakeholders would have travelled down to their various communities to vote.
He added that the atmosphere was calm because the majority of the candidates, except one, are all from Ondo South.
During a visit to some motor parks in the state, activities were at the lowest ebb as travellers were scanty despite the public holiday declared by the state government on Friday to enable residents, particularly civil servants, travel to their respective local councils to exercise their franchise.
Speaking on the situation, an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Ondo Garage, Taiwo Olounyomi, expressed concern that ticket sales were not enticing, attributing the situation to the hike in transportation fare due to the high cost of fuel.
He said: “Honestly, this is the first time that I will be witnessing this kind of election in this state. We had anticipated that passengers would rush to the park this morning to travel to their communities to vote on Saturday, but what we saw was depressing. The number of passengers that came was lower than on normal days.
“Even those that came complained bitterly about the cost of transport. We don’t even know that there is an election because everything is just not giving in.”
The situation was not different at the Shasha axis of Akure, the state capital, as the drivers complained of low patronage, stressing that in past elections, there was a last-minute rush by passengers.
With the election projected to be peaceful, findings revealed that Idanre, Owo, Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo, and Akoko South West Local Councils might be tense due to past political incidents in the areas.
For Idanre, which has always been volatile during elections, the running mate to the PDP candidate, Festus Akingbaso, and the state Chairman of APC, Ade Adetimehin, are from the local council, which is in Akoko South West. The area used to be under the control of APC but the party lost the state constituency seat to the PDP during the 2023 general election.
APC leaders from the local council have vowed to win the council for the party, while members of the PDP insisted that they will use the election to prove that they are in firm control of the local council.
In Owo Local Council, the death of Akeredolu, who was a son of the soil, has continued to create division in the council, with some loyalists of the deceased governor plotting to work against the emergence of Aiyedatiwa, while those in the camp of the governor were said to be battle-ready to ensure that APC wins the local council.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police have assured the electorate that with the security strategy in place, the election will be seamless.
The police disclosed that 22,000 personnel would be deployed to support the election and would be complemented by 6,000 operatives from other security agencies.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, revealed that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been actively ramping up preparations and implementing security strategies to ensure the election is conducted smoothly and peacefully.
“To this end, we are reinforcing adequate security measures throughout the state,” he said.
Adejobi reiterated the ban on the use of unauthorised sirens, covered number plates and unauthorised escorts for VIPs during the election. He also strictly warned local and unauthorised security agencies to steer clear of the process, stressing that violators would face severe consequences under the law.
“There will be a restriction on movement within the state on the election day from 6am to 6pm. Members of the public are advised to plan their activities in advance to accommodate this restriction.
“Through collaborative efforts, we are committed to ensuring that the elections are conducted fairly and peacefully, free from any form of manipulation or interference. This will help safeguard the integrity and legitimacy of the electoral outcomes.
“Additional plainclothes detectives from Abuja are also on the ground for undercover operations. The waterways, which connect Ondo State to Rivers, Bayelsa and Lagos, are being closely monitored. The IGP has deployed more gunboats to cover these strategic areas, with the OC Marine Police unit on standby.
“The security landscape remains dynamic. Areas considered safe today may become flashpoints tomorrow. Therefore, our threat analysis is ongoing and adjustments will be made as necessary. Adequate personnel have been deployed to polling units, RACs (Registration Area Centers), collation centres and local government secretariats. We are fully prepared, equipped and determined to manage the election process smoothly,” Adejobi said.
Also, the Deputy Commandant General in charge of operations, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ayuba Philips, has warned all men and officers of the formation to distance themselves from any form of action that could undermine the off-circle gubernatorial election in Ondo State.
He warned that any men or officers of the formation found culpable of any action seen to have compromised the process of the election would be dismissed from service.
Ayuba dropped the warning on Friday at the state headquarters of the formation in Akure, the state capital, while briefing on the preparedness of the formation for the election.
He assured the electorate in the state that the formation was fully ready to checkmate anyone planning to undermine the peaceful conduct of the election.
According to him, all the men and officers of the formation are fully prepared, and those drawn from outside Ondo State have arrived for the poll.
He added: “We want the people to trust us and also believe in us; that we shall give them the best and nothing but the best.
“However, let me just say, from the authority of the civil defence, we don’t condone any act of unprofessionalism from any of our officers and men.
“Anybody who decides to commit any atrocity, I think he is asking himself to be out of the system. We shall not leave anybody. Once you commit, you should know your way is out.”
Ayuba, therefore, called on the electorate not to nurse any fear as a result of the presence of security agents, assuring them that they were only deployed to maintain peace and ensure that the election is free, fair and credible.
Meanwhile, state governors elected on the platform of the APC and PDP, and also some leaders of the parties, are not taking the exercise with levity as some of them were on ground to witness the election.
Some of the APC leaders in the state included Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodu (Ogun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), APC National Chairman, Umar Ganduje, among others, while their PDP counterparts included Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).
Meanwhile, the INEC, on Friday, reiterated its determination to conduct a free, fair and credible election in Ondo, promising that all necessary electronic gadgets meant to be used for the voting, transmission of results and others were in perfect order.
Responding to questions yesterday, the Spokesman to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, said the commission had put necessary measures in place for a free, fair, inclusive and credible governorship election in Ondo State.
He said the commission would deploy 4,002 Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS) to the 3,933 polling units with an additional 812 BVAS units set aside for the election.
“The machines have been fully charged and tested. They will be used to accredit voters at the Polling Units (PU) and for uploading the PU results (Form EC8A) to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal after the declaration of result at the PU level,” he said.
He said citizens would be able to view the PU results in real time on the IReV portal as the results are uploaded from the PUs.
“It should be noted however that the IReV is not an electronic collation portal. Its duty is to simply display the picture of the Form EC8A uploaded by the Presiding Officers from the Pus,” he added.
However, he assured the people of Ondo State that INEC would protect the sanctity of the ballot, stating that people’s votes would determine who the next governor of the state.