EKSIEC releases guidelines for LG elections

From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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The Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) has released guidelines for the conduct of elections into the chairmanship and councillorship positions across the 16 Local Government areas of the state.

The Chairman of EKSIEC, Justice Aladejana,  who released the guidelines at a stakeholders’meeting  with Journalists held at the  office of the commission on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, announced December 7, this year for the conduct of the council polls.

Aladejana,  expressed the readiness of the commission to conduct free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful polls, just as he assured all political parties in the elections of a level playing ground and advised them to play the game according to the rules and devoid of violence.

The EKSIEC boss said the  Chairmanship form will cost N50,000 while that of  councilorship will be sold to candidates at the rate of  N20,000 for the purpose of the elections.

He said verification of particulars of candidates submitted to EKSIEC by political parties will start on Monday 14 October  and close by 16 of the same month, while the return of list of qualified and unqualified candidates contain in forms EKSCF 003 and 004 respectively will hold on 18th of October 2019.

On the mode of electioneering campaign, Aladejana said : ” electioneering campaign will  start on Saturday, September 14 and it has to be devoid of thuggery and hate speech. Let there be constructive engagements and we will monitor the  parties in this regard.

Aladejana assured that the polls will be transparent and devoid of rigging, appealing to the parties not to boycott the polls as it has been their usual practice.

He disclosed  that the body will use voter registers of the Independent National Electoral  Commission (INEC) and its  guidelines for the conduct of the  elections, saying the voting will be manual.

He said the commission will collaborate with the security agencies and that they have been  given assurances that there won’t be intimidation, rigging and suppression of the opposition on the election day .