Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
A two-day training of the staff of Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) is underway in Ado Ekiti as part of preparations for the December 2 local government election in the state.
The theme of the workshop is: ‘Towards the conduct of a free, fair and credible local government election in Ekiti State’.
Declaring open the workshop, the Chairman, Ekiti State Civil Service Commission, Sir Bunmi Famosaya, who was represented at the event, described its theme as very apt, and timely and could not have come at a better time than now when the country is seriously yearning for free, fair and credible elections.
Famosaya highlighted some of the challenges facing credible elections in the country and enjoined EKSIEC to conduct next month’s council poll with a very high sense of responsibility and in accordance with the electoral rules, thereby engendering peace and progress.
In his opening remarks, EKSIEC Chairman, Justice Cornelius Akintayo (rtd), admonished participants, which include, Electoral Officers (Eos) and Assistant Electoral Officers (AEOs) to make the best use of the training.
According to him, their professionalism on election day is crucial to the success of the election and therefore urged them to be attentive to experts who are the resource persons as their trainers.
Akintayo announced that the training of the ad hoc staff to work with the EOs and AEOs on election day has been scheduled to hold after the two-day workshop.
EKSIEC Commissioners and other management staff of the commission also attended the workshop.
Papers presented on day 1 are: Critical stakeholders and their roles in the conduct of Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas Election in Ekiti State; Operational Procedures for the conduct of LGAs and LCDAs election in Ekiti State and Professional Ethics and Conduct of Electoral Officials.
