Kwara residents urged to vote during 2019 election

Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin

The State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Kwara State, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi has urged the people and residents of Kwara to make their votes count by voting correctly and preventing void votes when the time comes. He also charged them to shun hate speeches that can trigger violence, as we approach the 2019 elections. The NOA Director made this call on thurday at the flag off a State-wide campaign, with focus on curbing invalid votes at Oke Oyi, in Ilorin East Local Government Area. In his speech, Adeyemi noted that during the 2015 presidential election, over 850,000 votes were voided because some voters did not vote correctly which made their votes rejected. He thereafter demonstrated to the audience, how to vote properly and urged them to teach others same. According to, Barrister Tajudeen Lawal, the Chief Orientation and Mobilisation Officer of NOA, Ilorin East LGA emphasised that the sensitisation becomes imperative in order to educate the electorates properly, ahead of elections. The Baale of Oke Ose, Alhaji Asonibare who commended NOA for the timely programme urged Nigerians and Kwarans to avoid statements and utterances that can truncate the peace which the state has been enjoying for long ahead of the 2019 general elections. The Electoral Officer of INEC in the LGA, Mr Bamidele Olabode, who gave an explicit lecture at the programme, noted that on election days, accreditation and voting will hold simultaneously and voters would not be allowed to go in to voting arena with camera or recording devices. He also noted that INEC has catered for gender and cultural needs of people and every eligible electorate who presents valid PVC would be allowed to vote, including those with disabilities. In his goodwill messages from the Chairman and Speaker of the LGA Council, Police, DSS, NSCDC, Hausa community and others present. Other dignitaries who attended the programme were: the Baale of Oke Oyi, Councillors, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, NYSC members amongst others. This campaign on how to curb invalid vote and vote correctly is to hold simultaneously in the 16 LGAs in Kwara, area of the state.