Edo, Ondo Election: No Face Mask, No Voting –INEC Chairman

Posted by Oludare Fase African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, September 10th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu says voters for Edo and Ondo governorship elections must wear their face masks or be prevented from voting.

Yakubu disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on COVID-19 on Thursday in Abuja.

The INEC chairman explained that with the pandemic, it had become necessary to wear a face cover, which does not necessarily need to be medical mask but any material that could be used to cover the nose and mouth.

Yakubu also stated that the non-pharmaceutical measures like physical distancing of about two meters would be applied, while hand sanitisers would be used.

The INEC boss also cautioned voters against touching the surfaces and leaning on walls at the voting centres as this would be prohibited.

He also stated that the commission had produced ten points voters video conduct, which had been distributed in the two states.

Speaking on the electronic voting, the INEC boss said the commission could not employ this system now because the laws had not permitted it.

He, however, stated that electronic balloting would be used in Anambra election in 2021 since the law allowed for electronic balloting and not electronic voting.

Meanwhile, the INEC chairman also revealed that the PTF had donated additional 3,000 thermometers to INEC, which would be added to the 1,000 earlier donated and deployed to Edo and Ondo for elections.

(NAN)