Ondo Election: INEC Releases Polling and Collation Agents Summary

By Iyojo Ameh

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published a summary of the submissions made by political parties for the Ondo State Governorship election, following the closure of the portal for uploading polling and collation agents.

The portal, which opened on August 20, 2024, automatically closed at midnight on Monday, September 30, 2024, as outlined in the election timetable released in September 2023.

In a statement signed by Mr. Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner & Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission provided details of the submissions.

Ondo State has 3,933 polling units and 222 collation centers, which include 203 ward centers, 18 local government centers, and the state collation center in Akure.

Political parties fielding candidates are required to nominate agents for these positions, with an expected total of 4,155 agents per party. With 18 parties participating in the election, INEC anticipated a cumulative figure of 74,790 agents.

However, only 24,148 agents were uploaded to the portal, representing 32.3% of the expected number. These agents are divided into 22,689 polling agents, 1,249 ward agents, 196 local government agents, and 14 state collation agents. Notably, three political parties did not submit agents for any level of the polling or collation process.

INEC has uploaded a detailed breakdown of the submissions to its website and social media platforms for public review.