Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has called on the people of the state to remain calm and get prepared to exercise their civic responsibility on February 23.

Speaking at his countryhome, Owo, Akeredolu said the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections by INEC was painful.

The governor, however, said the postponement must be taken with calmness and renewed determination to turnout better for the elections on the new dates.

He said: “We have suffered a lot of inconveniences, let us turn it to weekend of rest particularly with our family.”

While regretting that citizens were already set to have the elections held on the earlier dates, Akeredolu said the electoral body must have been overwhelmed by unforeseen circumstances, such as its inability to deliver electoral materials to all the needed places and replacement of damaged essentials materials and equipment in its offices burnt in parts of the country.

“It is not an election that can be staggered, It is a national election, it has to be held on one day. If there are areas where all needed election materials are not available, INEC has no option than to postpone until it is sure the materials are there”, he said.

Akeredolu said he had no reason to doubt the electoral body on its reasons for shifting forward the dates of the elections which it announced after it had carefully reviewed the implementation of its logistics and operational plans for the elections but urged the people to get prepared to troop out en-masse next week to exercise their franchise.