As residents in Ondo State prepare to pick their governor tomorrow, Saturday, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus (COVID-19) has said that anyone without facemask would not vote.
Dr Sani Aliyu, the National Coordinator of the PTF, reiterated this during the task force’s media briefing in Abuja.
He said voters, candidates and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be required to follow the anti-COVID-19 guidelines put in place for elections, noting that the country could not afford to lose the gains made in the national response efforts during the election.
Aliyu said the process would be protected from the spread of the virus, adding that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) would be provided for electoral officers.
He said the materials to be used and the voting environment would be disinfected.
He urged candidates and officials of the 17 political parties to lead by example during the exercise.
“As we all know, we will hold the governorship election across 18 local governments. We are expecting about 1.5 million eligible people to vote in 3,000 polling units across the state.
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“This is clearly a huge exercise. It’s a huge exercise that will also come with risks. Therefore, in order to protect the voters, election officials and candidates in the electoral process, we urge everyone to comply with the INEC guidelines.
“Face masks are mandatory across the polling units. No face mask, no voting. Physical distancing must be enforced, especially in queuing at polling units. Alcohol-based sanitisers will be provided. The election will begin at 8:30 am, to close at 2:30 pm, but anybody on the outer queue by 2:30 pm will still be allowed to vote. There will be two queues; an outer queue and an inner queue.
