All is now set for the conduct of Saturday’s council poll by the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission, EKSIEC.
The election will take place in the sixteen Statutory Local Government Areas, LGAs and the twenty recently created Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs across two thousand, four hundred and forty polling units.
Six political parties have fielded candidates for the exercise which will start by eight o’clock in the morning and end by three o’clock in the afternoon.
The parties are, APC, APGA, YPP, ADC, AA and National Rescue Movement, NRM
Briefing newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the EKSIEC Chairman, Justice Babajide Aladejana said seven thousand, five hundred adhoc staff had been trained for the exercise.
Justice Aladejana assured the people of Ekiti State that the election would be free, fair and credible.
He said that no politician would be allowed to hijack and manipulate the outcome of the poll.
The EKSIEC Chairman implored people of the state to come out massively and vote for their preferred chairmanship and counsellorship candidate, saying that adequate security would be provided by the police and other security agencies.
Justice Aladejana however said the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) planned to boycott the poll would not affect the process and its outcome.
When contacted on the PDP’s planned boycott of the poll, the State Publicity Secretary, Mr Raphael Adeyanju, said the party had no confidence in the electoral body, saying that it cannot conduct free, fair, and credible poll.
Meanwhile, Ekiti state Government has ordered restriction of vehicular movement within the State tomorrow (Saturday,) from six O’ clock in the morning to four in the afternoon to allow for a smooth conduct of the Local Government Election across the State.
A statement by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Biodun Omoleye says only those on essential duties and those on electoral assignments are exempted from the restriction.
The statement advises students participating in NECO Examinations across the stae to go out with valid proof of Identification to allow Unhindered access. .