The Ondo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun distributing non-sensitive election materials for the upcoming off-cycle governorship election scheduled for November 16, 2024. During a media briefing in Akure on Saturday, Resident Electoral Commissioner Oluwatoyin Babalola provided updates on the commission’s preparations for the election.
Babalola announced that a significant portion of the non-sensitive materials has already been received and distributed to the 18 local government areas in the state. She emphasized that these materials are stored securely, with close collaboration with security agencies to ensure their protection.
“The non-sensitive election materials will be organized into Registration Areas (RAs) and polling units and will be dispatched on the eve of the election,” Babalola explained. “I am pleased to inform you that we have received and deployed a large percentage of the required materials to the 18 Local Government Offices.”
In her address, Babalola revealed that the total number of registered voters in Ondo State is now 2,053,061, following the harmonization of newly registered voters with the existing list. Among these, there are 1,034,006 male voters, making up 50.36% of the total, while female voters number 1,019,055, accounting for 49.64%.
Youth voters, defined as those aged 18-35, total 726,944, representing 35.41% of all registered voters. Middle-aged individuals (36-50 years) amount to 721,982, or 35.17%, while the elderly (51 years and above) comprise 441,516 voters, making up 21.51%. Additionally, there are 162,619 registered senior citizens, constituting 7.92% of the electorate.
Notably, only 1,782 voters living with disabilities are registered, representing just 0.09% of the total registered population.
Babalola assured registered voters that their votes would count, stating that INEC is collaborating with security agencies to ensure a smooth, free, fair, and credible election in Ondo State. She also confirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed across all 3,933 polling units in the state.
