Fears of violence in today’s governorship election in Ondo State heightened, yesterday, amid security reports that thugs have been ‘imported’ into the state from neighbouring Kogi State.
Security sources told Newsmen, in Abuja, that 27 flashpoints had been identified in the state and had deployed men to those areas. The security agencies have identified 27 flashpoints and they identified them by local government and by communities. The Department of State Service and the Police are assessing the reports and we hope the issues would have been addressed before election on Saturday. Yes, we have this intelligence report at our disposal and the security agencies are working on it.
“Part of the intelligence report was that thugs were being brought to Ondo state from Kogi State. But, sister security agencies have also been alerted about movement of thugs from Kogi into Ondo and they have assured us they are on top of the situation.” In a related development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has said it would adopt the “Edo Strategy” in uploading election results from today’s governorship poll. Rather than wait for collation and announcement at the headquarters of the Commission in the state, INEC will, barring any change, announce and uploaded results online, straight from the polling units.
“We will upload results from polling units. The strategy adopted in Edo will be adopted for Ondo too,” he said. An INEC source also dismissed insinuations that the Returning Officer for Ondo governorship election is from the state. “The RO is not coming from Ondo State at all. His identity would be unveiled today. The protest against the vice chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University is unnecessary.”
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