It’s election day in Ekiti State with 988,923 registered voters i across 16 local government in the process of electing the governor and the deputy governor of the state today.
The election are holding in 2,445 Polling Units (PUs) in 177 Registration Areas, in three Senatorial Districts , six Federal Constituencies and 26 State Constituencies across the states.
A Total number of 16 candidates and parties are contesting the governorship election.
The candidates are Abiodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olabisi Kolapo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olusegun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Others are Reuben Famuyibo of Accord (A), Ajagunigbale Olajide of African Action Congress (AAC), Oluwole Oluyede of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Elebute-Halle Kemi of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Benjamin Obidoyin of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Also contesting are Fagbemi Adegbenro of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Christiana Olatawura of All People’s Party (APP), Daramola Olugbenga Onile of Labour Party (LP), Fatomilola Oladosu of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Iyaniwura Ifedayo of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Also in the race are Agboola Ben of the Peoples Redemption Party, Adebowale Oluranti Ajayi of Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Adeolu Akinyemi of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
INEC had assured Nigerians that people of Ekiti would determine their next governor, while security agencies also pledged to secure peaceful environment for the poll.
ADEBAYO LAUDS VOTERS’ TURN OUT, INNOVATIONS BY INEC
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, has commended the large turn out of voters as well as the innovations deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Saturday governorship election.
Adebayo, also a former Governor in Ekiti, made the commendation while addressing newsmen shortly after casting his vote at the Balogun Polling Unit in his home town, Iyin Ekiti, Ifelodun Local Government area.
The minister said that he would not have lost the 2003 election, if the election had been credible like the ongoing governorship election in the state.
“So far, the whole exercise has been peaceful and credible.
“The Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machine has been good in many instances, but there have been few problems here or there.
“Sometimes, it is not capturing the voter ID card, but people have been advised to still wait to be attended to or INEC find a solution so that they will have the opportunity to cast their votes.
“In terms of security, it has been good. There is a large turn out of security agencies. The police are here in large numbers.
“In all, the electorate themselves have been very disciplined. So far, there have not been any incident of violence or fighting,” Adebayo said.
He advised the voters to continue to conduct themselves peacefully during and after the election.
“Get accredited, cast your votes and go home or stay around, listen to the results and go home and celebrate,” Adebayo said.
NSCDC DISPERSE SUSPECTED VOTE BUYERS IN ADO-EKITI
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have dispersed a group of residents allegedly being bribed at Mobil filling station, opposite St. Michael’s School in Ajilosun area of Ado-Ekiti.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored voting across the state, observed a large crowd being dispersed by a team of NSCDC operatives, led by acting Deputy Commandant, Haruna Muhammed.
Mr Musa Faruk, a resident of the area, said that some suspected political agents had been distributing between N10,000 and N12,000 to the voters who agreed to vote for their preferred governorship candidate.
He explained that at polling units one and two of ward four at St. Michael Nursery and Primary School, the agents would have observed who voters had voted for before giving them the money.
Another voter, Veronica Famigun, who was in the midst of the crowd, said that vote buying had been ongoing for hours, expressing happiness over the way in which those engaging in the act were dispersed by NSCDC operatives.
She stressed the need for security agents to also beam their searchlight on other polling units across the state where such acts might also be perpetrated.
Speaking on the development, Muhammed frowned at the menace of vote buying by political agents, saying that his men had no choice than to disperse those engaging in the practice.
He said that it was important for citizens to understand that elections should be free and fair.
The NSCDC chief advised parents to restrain their wards and keep them indoor as anybody caught in the act of vote buying would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
NAN, however, reports that nobody was arrested at the scene, as the suspected perpetrators immediately took to their heels.
NAN also reports that more security personnel had been drafted to the location to prevent re-occurrence.
IKERE-EKITI VOTERS DECRY NON INCLUSION OF STAMP PADS IN ELECTION MATERIALS
Some electorate in Ikere-Ekiti area have decried the non inclusion of stamp pads in the election materials supplied to the town, alleging that the process has been compromised.
They expressed their displeasure in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the town.
One of them, an 85-year-old woman, Caroline Elizabeth, vowed to wait until the stamp pad was produced, saying that she could not afford to be disenfranchised.
“This is my civic responsibility and that am still alive to witness this, I must cast my vote.
“This is another dimension in my 85 year in life; I have voted more than 12 times and never witnessed this situation.
“But, no matter how long it takes INEC to produce the stamp pads, I will continue to wait,” Elizabeth said.
Another voter, Mr Isaac Alabi, expressed his displeasure with the situation, saying that why was the INEC officials just observing that there was no stamp pads in the materials given to them three days before the election.
Mr Ade Asimolowo, an electorate noted that peaceful election was possible, if all involved in the electoral process could abide by the guiding rules.
Commenting, Dr Wole Oluyede, the Governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), complained that the election had been compromised following non inclusion of vitals items in the election materials despatched to the town.
NAN reports that as at 10:15 a.m, at Ugele Arokun Ward 3 Unit 6 in Ikere-Ekiti, where the ADC candidate was expected to vote, ballot stamp pads were missing in the voting materials dispatched to the polling unit.
A Presiding Officer, Mr Festus More, said that all the items were completed when he checked through, but could not explain how the stamps were removed.
“I was set for the voting as all the necessary preparation and protocols have been done. In fact, I have given out a ballot paper to the first voter, only to discover that the stamps were missing,” More said.
He, however, assured the electorate that arrangement had been to get another stamps so that voting could commence in earnest.
APC CHIEFTAIN LAUDS INEC ON EFFECTIVENESS OF BIMODAL ACCREDITATION SYSTEM
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress,(APC), Prof. Adio Afolayan, has described the seamless operation of BIMODAL Accreditation System for the conduct of ongoing governorship election in Ekiti by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as excellent.
Afolayan, who is also the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs in Ekiti, made the commendation on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Efon-Alaaye, after casting his votes.
INEC is adopting BIMODAL Accreditation System, in which accreditation and voting were done simultaneously in the Saturday governorship election.
According to Afolayan, it took less than five minutes for a voter to accredit and vote simultaneously.
“Comparing INEC now to the previous elections, arrangement is assuming excellent.
“So far, INEC arrangement is so superb and okay. Within five minutes, one is accredited, do the voting, unlike before you accredit, hours later you still queue to cast your vote,” Afolayan said.
He also lauded the peaceful conducts of the electorate, saying that people conducted themselves peacefully without any bickering.
NAN reports that Afolayan voted at Ward 4, Unit 4 at Efon-Alaaye in Efon Local Government area rea of Ekiti.
However, some voters in Ifaki-Ekiti, raised alarm that the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machines were not functioning well in many areas of the town.
They consequently called on INEC to intervene so that they do not miss out in electing candidates of their choice, in the exercise which they said would officially close at about 2.30p.m.
NAN reports that at Omi-Oniyo Voting Unit, in Ifaki-Ekiti, the hometown of Segun Oni, the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), out of the over 500 voters registered in the area, only two persons had been able to vote, as at about 9.30 a.m.
An elderly woman, who spoke on the development on condition of anonymity, said she had been on queue since about 7.09 a.m, but has yet to be accredited, not to talk of voting.
NAN further reports that same scenario was playing out in some polling units in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Meanwhile, Mr Fidelix Nweke, the Coordinator, Women and Youths Pathfinders Initiative, Abuja, lauded the peaceful conduct of the electorate in Efon-Alaaye during the Saturday governorship election.
Nweke told NAN in Efon-Alaaye that there has not been any report of violence in areas visited by the group.
He also lauded the massive turnout of voters for the exercise.
“We are in Ekiti to observe the election process; we have being going round and in the areas visited so far, the turnout had been very impressive.
“We wish it can continue like this; we have not seen any atom of violence anywhere.
“It has been very peaceful; we also wish it can continue like this till the end of the election,” Nweke said.
He called on the people to ensure that peaceful atmosphere being witnessed now was maintained.
The group coordinator said that before any election could be adjudged free, fair and credible, it must be peaceful.
He said, “From what we have seen so far, if the election continues like this till the end of the exercise by remaining peaceful, this election can be adjudged as a peaceful election.”
Also, Mrs Kemi Elebute-Halle, the Governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party, (ADP), insisted that she was still in the race.
Elebute-Halle, addressing newsmen said: “ It is a lie concocted by those afraid of my rising profile.
“Having come this far, it would be cowardly of me to back out.
“I’m set to win this election. In another 30 minutes, I will be joining my supporters to cast my vote,” she said.
