The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that political parties fielding candidates for the upcoming 2024 Ondo State Governorship Election have submitted only 32.3% of the expected number of polling and collation agents.
In a press release issued by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC detailed that of the anticipated 74,790 agents, only 24,148 were uploaded to the portal, which was open from August 20, 2024, to September 30, 2024. These agents are responsible for polling units, ward centres, Local Government areas, and state-level collation centres in the election process.
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Ondo State, which comprises 3,933 polling units and 222 collation centres across 18 Local Government Areas, was expected to have more robust representation. Despite 18 political parties participating in the election, INEC confirmed that only a fraction of the required agents were nominated. Notably, three political parties failed to submit agents at any level.
The Commission expressed concern over the significant shortfall, with political parties submitting far fewer agents than required. This could potentially impact the oversight and smooth operation of the election, which is scheduled for later this year.
For further transparency, INEC has made a detailed breakdown of the submissions available on its website and social media platforms.
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