Twenty-four hours before the Ondo governorship election, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office at the first pre-election press conference expressed optimism that the polls may be calm based on the existing situation on the ground.

The Civil Society group said it has deployed over 1000 trained and accredited observers for the election who would monitor the election across the 18 local governments in the state using technology to ensure the process complies with the Electoral Act (2022) and INEC regulations.

Situation Room said it has held different dialogue sections with the stakeholders involved in the election including the INEC and political parties and notes the relative calmness contrary to the situation in Edo state and wished the situation remained the same throughout the electoral process.

Pockets of Incidents
Situation Room observed preliminary incidents such as the display of intolerance by some supporters of candidates who have gone about removing the advertising posters of their opponents. It called on stakeholders to intensify voter education for their supporters to desist from such acts.
It described as an unhealthy situation whereby candidates withdraw from the contest between 24 to 72 hours before the election. It says this conduct calls for political reform.

Security Arrangements
Situation Room commends the presence and deployment of security personnel for the election but urges that their visibility should not lead to intimidation on election day. “Their presence should not be seen as intimidating the voter so as not to suppress voter turnout or lead to voter apathy.
It also called on the security agencies to ensure an even deployment of security personnel across the entire State and not concentrate them on any area whether urban or rural and appealed to the personnel to shun partisanship.
It called on the security agencies to provide them with logistics and welfare for their effectiveness warning them not to depend on the INEC for their transportation.

Political Parties
Situation Room observed poor political education by the political parties especially in their campaigns. It wants the parties to avoid vote-buying for the negative effect it could have on the credibility of the election. It added that this could erode public trust in the electoral system.

It appeals to INEC to keep to its pledge to correct the lapses in the Edo governorship election by ensuring that the polls open on time. It said INEC vehicle drivers and staff must be briefed ahead of time on the routes to the polling units while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System must function maximally.
INEC must be transparent and open its collation centres to election observers contrary to what they did in Edo State.

On a final note, Situation Room called on all eligible voters to come out and exercise their franchise on election day while desisting to sell their votes.