Ahead of the governorship election in Ondo State on November 16, 2024, the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed optimism that there will be a high voter turnout at the polls.
The INEC chairman, who stated this on Sunday in Akure, Ondo State capital, described the state’s ongoing continuous voter registration, CVR, as impressive considering the number of registrants recorded in the past few days.
Yakubu, who was in the state to assess the level of preparation for the off-cycle election, disclosed that since the exercise began on May 27, 2024, about 20,000 fresh registrants had been captured.
“I’m basically in Ondo State for two reasons. The first is to observe the ongoing continuous voter registration, which started on Monday, the 27th of last month.
“We have made tremendous progress based on the daily reports I have been receiving from the state office. The second reason is the early assessment of our readiness for the Ondo State governorship election.
“The election is held in the next five months, two weeks, and two days, on November 16. From the figures we are seeing of the registration, so far, since the exercise started, there has been a tremendous voter turnout.
“As of yesterday, for instance, in Ondo, we have about 20, 000 fresh registrants as of Saturday, and we are in the middle of the process.
“The new registrants do not include transfers, the collection of cards, or the replacement of cards. So, with the enthusiasm demonstrated, particularly by the young men, when you look at the breakdown of the figures, I think there will be no voter apathy in the forthcoming elections,” he said.