We’re 85 Percent Ready For Osun Election —INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said on Monday it’s 85 percent ready for the 9 August governorship election in Osun State, southwest Nigeria, in which 20 candidates are vying for the top job in Osogbo, the state capital. INEC Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Adenike Tadese, said in an interview in Lagos, western Nigeria, that apart from final training of some ad hoc staff, the electoral body is ‘fully prepared’ for the last major election before the general elections next February. “We are 85 percent prepared. We still have a few things go do,” she said. Tadese was among 30 other INEC heads of communication in various Nigerian states who are undergoing pre-election training at the United States Consulate General in Lagos. She said there are 1, 406, 454 registered voters in Osun and as of 27 June, 780, 464 permanent voters’ cards had been distributed out of 1,256,569 total voters’ cards received from INEC. Tadese said 9788 ad hoc staff are needed for the election, adding that 4643 youth corps members are set for the exercise. She said the new state electoral boss “picked up from where the other one left, and everything has been going on smoothly.” Early Jeffrey Hawkins, the United States Consul General in Lagos, said his government decided to train INEC communication staff for effective communication of electoral matters. He said if they can communicate well, they would have cemented Nigeria’s democracy. INEC staff would be trained for four days by Mr. Derwin Johnson, an American Communication Consultant with more than 30 years experience as a journalist, communication executive and educator.