Ondo2020: No Face Mask, No Voting – PTF

Voters in the Ondo state have been told that they might be denied a chance to vote in the governorship election holding in the state tomorrow if they turn up without a face mask. 

National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr. Sani Aliyu who said this during the task force’s media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, October 8, 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 as the country cannot afford to have another wave of Coronavirus infection. 

Asides from revealing that the materials to be used and the voting environment would be disinfected, Aliyu further revealed that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) would be provided for electoral officers

He said;

“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.

“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 sanitizers will be provided. The election will begin at 8:30 am, to close at 2:30 pm, but anybody in 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.”