The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged that it will ensure the timely arrival of election materials and officials for the November 16 off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State, aiming to avoid the delays that have plagued previous elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave this assurance during a visit to local government areas in the state on Wednesday, where a mock accreditation exercise took place.

The visit, which included the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, and other INEC officials, was part of preparations for the upcoming election.

Yakubu acknowledged that previous elections in Nigeria had been marred by the late arrival of election materials and officials to polling units, which often resulted in delays in the commencement of voting.

However, he assured voters that the situation would be different in Ondo, with the commission taking steps to ensure that polling stations open on time.

“We have made all necessary logistical arrangements to ensure that election materials and personnel arrive early at the polling units. Our goal is to avoid any delays and ensure that voting begins promptly,” Yakubu said.

He also highlighted the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation and result transmission.

“The mock accreditation has been successful, with no failures in the system. We’ve tested the machines extensively, and many voters have been successfully accredited using facial recognition technology rather than fingerprints,” Yakubu explained.

The INEC chairman expressed confidence that the preparations made, including the extensive training of electoral officials and the mock accreditation exercise, would ensure a smooth election process.

He reassured voters that INEC was committed to making the Ondo governorship election credible, transparent, and free from the issues that had previously hindered the electoral process.

Yakubu also called on political parties, candidates, and their supporters to maintain peace throughout the election period, urging them to refrain from violence and ensure a conducive environment for the election to be held in a timely and orderly manner.

“We appeal to political parties and their supporters to ensure a peaceful atmosphere so that we can complete the election process smoothly and announce the will of the people of Ondo State,” he said.

During his visit, Yakubu toured several local government areas, including Akure South, Idanre, Ile-Oluji-Okeigbo, Ondo East, and Akure North, where the mock accreditation was conducted.

He reiterated that INEC was fully prepared for the election, with all necessary resources in place to guarantee its success.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused outgoing Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of converting his political appointees into full-time civil servants just days before the handover to the new administration.

The APC claims that this move is an attempt by Obaseki to burden the incoming government with a large recurrent expenditure, especially given the state’s already significant debt burden.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Prince Kassim Afegbua, a member of the APC transition committee, alleged that Obaseki had been converting his Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs) into permanent civil service positions.

According to Afegbua, 186 appointees were converted in September 2024, and another 152 appointees are currently undergoing conversion through an ongoing interview process.

“The governor is attempting to absorb these aides into the civil service in an effort to leave a bloated civil service that will further strain the state’s resources,” Afegbua said. “He is well aware of the massive debt burden the state is already facing.”

The APC also claimed that despite numerous vacancies in the civil service, Obaseki had not prioritized recruiting civil servants throughout his tenure.

The party pointed out that the governor had only recently set up the Civil Service Commission, just two weeks before the end of his administration.

“This move is a deliberate attempt to further stretch the state’s resources and saddle the incoming administration of Senator Monday Okpebholo with unnecessary financial burdens,” Afegbua added.

“Anyone who has been wrongly absorbed into the civil service or given a backdated appointment letter will be dismissed by the incoming administration.”

However, the Edo State Government has dismissed these claims as false.

Crusoe Osagie, the state government’s spokesperson, described the APC’s allegations as baseless and misleading.

Osagie said the Obaseki administration had been employing workers over the past few years in the interest of the state.

“These claims about overburdening the state with new workers are misleading,” Osagie said.

“The government has been employing workers for some time, and it’s disingenuous for the APC to claim that the governor is suddenly making last-minute appointments. These workers are being engaged in the best interest of Edo State.”

Osagie also rejected the APC’s assertion about state debt, calling it a distortion of the facts.

He insisted that the Obaseki administration had acted responsibly in its recruitment efforts and that such claims were part of an effort to discredit the outgoing government as it prepares to hand over to the new leadership.

The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party intensified, as the party failed to secure a single Local Government Area in the just concluded Abia State local government elections.

This defeat is a sign that the internal turmoil within the LP, particularly at the national level, is deepening.

The party has been struggling with a leadership rift, with prominent figures such as its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti breaking away from the leadership of Julius Abure.

The crisis originated from allegations of corruption and mismanagement against the Abure-led leadership.

Obi and Otti, along with other party stakeholders, had proposed former finance minister, Senator.Nenadi Usman as caretaker chairperson, appointing her to head a 29-member committee to manage the party’s affairs.

Despite this, Abure has remained in control, following a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja on October 7, 2024, which reinstated him as national chairman of the LP, affirming the Nnewi convention that produced him.

Although sources indicate there are attempts to resolve the issue privately, the latest twist in the crisis emerged from the Abia State local government elections.

Abia is currently the only state governed by the Labour Party.

The elections were held after a Supreme Court ruling on July 11, 2024, which triggered a series of events regarding local government elections across Nigeria.

According to the Chairman of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. George Chima, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) won 15 out of 17 LGAs in the state, while the Young Progressives Party (YPP) secured victories in the remaining two.

Otti’s faction of the Labour Party had instructed its supporters to contest under the Zenith Labour Party, leading to accusations of electoral manipulation.

Prince G.O. Ndubueze, the Abia State LP Chairman loyal to Abure, called the elections a “sham,” claiming that the results had been pre-determined.

He alleged, “The election was written on Wednesday. And we organized a world press conference, where we told the world that the election had been rigged. As we were told, that’s how it happened – 15 Local Government Areas were written for Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and 2 Local Government Areas for YPP. Exactly as we were told, that is what we witnessed after the election.”

Ndubueze argued that the election outcome could not accurately reflect the will of the people, adding, “The local government election cannot determine the fate of the Labour Party because the election was falsified. It can’t state the true position of the people. You can’t use this scam to determine what will happen in future elections. We don’t have any issue, only that the Governor advised or directed members of the Labour Party to go to ZLP to contest the election.”

However, Nelcin Uluocha, YPP State Chairman, dismissed these allegations, saying that his party’s success was due to hard work and voter support.

He said, “It’s as a result of hard work. After all, anybody that’s going in for election is prepared to win. The feeling is not different from the effort we put in.”

Uluocha further noted, “Those are speculations. You forgot that you went into the last general election, where the Governor himself was on the ballot, we won Osisioma Local Government by landslide and lost Ugwunagbo Local Government with only nine votes. So, we consolidated on what we had already built and came out victorious this time without excuses.”

Emmanuel Nwaeze Otti, the factional LP Chairman loyal to Governor Otti, maintained that the election was fair and transparent, emphasizing that the results simply reflected the democratic nature of the process.

“This is a contest. In a free election, whether in the community or in the household, everybody must not win at the same time. Yes, we contested the election and people from other political parties won the election,” he explained.

Nwaeze added, “It is only people who play politics with bitterness that say it must be me, or nobody else. Here’s a free and fair election and somebody won. I wouldn’t pick a quarrel on that. I know tomorrow it might be my turn.”

On the national crisis within the LP, Nwaeze stated, “I don’t think I feel bad. In a family, there must be misunderstanding or disagreement. When there’s disagreement, there’s a need to come together as one indivisible family. Sometimes husband and wife do disagree but at the end of the day they agree.”

Meanwhile, political communication expert, Ata-Awaji Anthony has criticized the recent events surrounding local government elections, warning that the developments do not reflect sound democratic principles.

Anthony, a lecturer at Topfaith University in Akwa Ibom, argued that the recent political developments pose a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

He remarked, “First, I must applaud the judiciary for strengthening local government administration in Nigeria following the ruling that local government areas should be governed by elected administrators, not people appointed by governors.”

However, Anthony expressed concerns about the election outcomes, particularly in states where ruling parties swept the polls.

“Does it mean that candidates of the other parties in various states are not loved by their people?” he asked. “I don’t think that what is playing out in Nigeria following the conduct of local government elections in some of the states reflect good democratic principles.”

Anthony warned that the lack of electoral diversity undermines democratic norms, stating, “the beauty of democracy is divergent views, at least two-party system representation at the legislative arm of government to ensure checks and balance, freedom of speech, among others. The recent happenings within the political landscape in Nigeria will not guarantee such democratic norm.”

“More so, it shows that most of the state governors can best be described as dictators. Democracy is, therefore, in danger in Nigeria.” he added.