By Musa Adamu
Following the incidence of the deadly coronavirus disease in the country, the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission has postponed the forthcoming local government elections indefinitely.
The commission had earlier fixed April 18, 2020, for the conduct of the election but the date has been shifted and no new date had been fixed for the exercise yet.
The commission had earlier declared that the coronavirus matter would not stop the conduct of the poll but had to reverse the decision.
The Chairman of the ODIEC, Prof Yomi Dinakin, who spoke on Friday, said 10 political parties had agreed to the postponement because they could not hold any campaign rallies due to the ban placed on political rallies and social gatherings by the state government.
According to him, the preparation of the commission for the poll might be jeopardised by unforeseen circumstances during the conduct of the elections if the poll was not postponed, saying “it may be difficult to control the crowd on the election day”.
On a new date for the election, Dinakin said the commission would monitor the state government activities and announcements before fixing the new date.
He also expressed optimism that the federal government would postpone the implementation of its policy that all local councils in the country must have elected officials by May this year.
He further stated that when the date was fixed, the commission would make “arrangements to ensure the safety of the electorates by providing washing hands basin, hand sanitisers and provision of seats to avoid crowding”.
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