4th October, 2016
Mr Olusegun Agbaje, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ondo State, on Tuesday, advised stakeholders to ensure reduction of void votes in the forthcoming governorship election.
Agbaje made the appeal during an Implementation meeting on voter education in Akure toward the Ondo 2016 governorship election.
He urged the stakeholders to educate people in their areas on the proper ways to cast votes in order to make them valid.
“All stakeholders must play their roles in ensuring that the number of void votes were drastically reduced in the forthcoming election.
“We don’t want to experience what happened in Edo State as regards the high number of voided votes hence this stakeholders meeting to sensitise the people on the need to avoid such’’, he said.
The REC further appealed to eligible voters to come out en masse and exercise their civic rights, saying that there was assurance of adequate security from security agencies.
According to him, INEC will not be biased and their votes would count.
“There is no need for violence in this forthcoming election because inconclusive elections emanate from violence’’, he said.
Earlier, Mr Bode Famose, Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Ondo State, expressed optimism for a violence free governorship election.
He enjoined all residents of the state to cast their votes and advocated for voters enlightenment to reduce voided votes.
Also, Mr Oluwole Osaze, Director of Voters Education, INEC headquarters, Abuja, said democracy was about participation and if one refuses to participate, he or she didn’t have any moral rights to question the government of the day.
According to him, votes are capable of voting a government out of power.