By Bada Jubril

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), an election monitoring group, has commended the relative professionalism and adequacy of policing in Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.

Speaking from its data room in Akure, the state capital, the Board Chairperson, Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, noted that the election process had been largely peaceful, with no major incidents leading to a breakdown of law and order in the early hours.

The organisation, according to her, has observed the largely effective enforcement of the restriction of movement and roadblocks, with officers being professional enough to allow the movement of essential workers in most of the local government areas.

Afolabi pointed out that the organisation’s field observers reported the significant early arrival of election materials at the polling units, indicating that the preparedness of INEC positively impacted its logistical movement.

She, however, acknowledged that while poll workers arrived early at many polling units, there were isolated cases of late commencement of polls at certain locations.

“Of the 275 reports received from the field, a substantial 33.09 per cent of the reports indicated a late commencement.

“Observations indicate that election officials arrived at polling stations between 6:30 am and 8:00 am, while voting commenced in those locations, according to the 33 per cent of reports, between 8:45 am and 10:00 am,” she stated.

The Board Chairperson of KDI said it appeared that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) performed well in the 2024 governorship election, although there were pockets of incidents that were quickly resolved, allowing voting to continue peacefully.

She added that KDI’s Election Day Data Room received 20 reports of incidents of violence, none of which led to disruptions at the polling units, except at polling unit 3, Ward 5 in Idanre Local Government Area, where party members shot sporadically into the air and dispersed voters.