The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the distribution of sensitive electoral materials to the 30 local government areas of Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The exercise began on Thursday night under the supervision of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola.
The distribution followed a delay caused by a Federal High Court ruling ordering INEC to include the Social Democratic Party in the election.
Following the judgment, the commission added the SDP to the ballot, bringing the number of political parties participating in the election to 14.
By 11:30pm on Thursday, buses conveying the electoral materials were already leaving the Central Bank of Nigeria premises in Osogbo for various local government areas.
Speaking on the development, the Senior Programme Manager of the Kimpat Development Initiative, Umar Mohammed, described the arrival of the materials as a positive development.
He said, “It is encouraging that the materials arrived today. Hopefully, after INEC completes the sorting process, they will be distributed to all the local governments.”
Mohammed said civil society organisations had been concerned that the court ruling could disrupt the election schedule because INEC had to produce additional ballot papers and result sheets.
He explained, “We were concerned that the court decision adding the SDP to the ballot could create logistical problems for INEC and possibly affect the election timetable.”
The civil society representative also commended INEC’s distribution arrangements, noting that the commission appeared to be giving priority to local government areas considered more remote and difficult to reach.
However, he raised concerns about the possibility of rainfall affecting the movement of the electoral materials.
He said, “I hope it does not rain because the clouds are already gathering. Heavy rainfall could make the distribution of the election materials more difficult.”
The distribution is part of preparations for Saturday’s governorship election, with INEC expected to complete the deployment of sensitive materials to the various local government areas before voting begins.
