THE Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) has announced its readiness to conduct elections in the 18 councils of the state on Saturday, April 23, this year.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, at a press briefing with stakeholders, security agencies and political party representatives yesterday in Akure, the state capital.

Ige, who also attributed the delay in conducting the polls to the litigation by the council chairmen that were dissolved by Governor Olusegun Mimiko on assumption of office in 2009 and financial constraints of the state government, formally outlined the timetable for the polls.

He said a meeting would follow the electoral process, which was started yesterday by the notice with political parties for the release of the election guidelines on January 25, other activities till the end of campaign on the Election Day, April 2.

Ige, in response to the charge of the state chairman, Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Fatai Adams, on free and fair polls, assured all the stakeholders that the commission would conduct credible polls as a neutral umpire.