Politics
GOV. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti has expressed delight at the large turnout of residents for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, describing it as commendable.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after casting his vote at 11.25 a.m., at Ward 6 Unit 003 in Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area, Oyebanji said that the electorate were undaunted by the recent hardship faced due to scarcity of cash and fuel.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor described the election as peaceful, going by reports at his disposal.
Oyebanji said, “So far, so good, the election has been peaceful.”
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for prompt arrival of election materials, the smooth accreditation of voters and efficiency of the BVAS machines.
The governor, however, appealed to the electorate to make the process peaceful throughout the elections across the state.
Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, has lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission on the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Bamidele gave the commendation after casting his votes at Ward B, Unit 003, Eyelori compound, of Iyin-Ekiti, alongside his wife,
The All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, who voted around 12:40p.m., also commended the electorate for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner.
“Let me first give God the glory that this election is holding today. As you know, this election is holding against the backdrop of a lot of daunting challenges in our country, owing to certain policies especially the CBN Naira redesign policy.
“We are happy that our people refused to be provoked and prevented an eventual breakdown of law and order because this is an election that could have ended in crisis owing to the challenges, but we are happy the election is holding
“What I have gathered from reports in the fields is that the turnout of voters has been impressive and INEC has been able to live up to expectations.
“This is without prejudice to initial challenges in some polling units, including my own unit here where for the first one and half hours, the BVAS machine had issues, but was eventually fixed.
“Voting is going on without any issue, and my hope is that what we are witnessing here is also what is happening in other parts of the country; that the electioneering process is peaceful, free, fair and credible, and that at the end of the day, our votes will count”, he added.
Bamidele expressed optimism of his chances of winning, saying “I look forward to a victorious outing for a renewed mandate to go back to the senate”.
Meanwhile, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for House of Representatives in the Ekiti North Federal Constituency 2, Akinlayo Kolawole, has bemoaned the malfunctioning of the BVAS in Ward 2, Units 16 and 17 in his homestead, Ikosu-Ekiti,
Kolawole, however lauded the turnout of voters describing it as very impressive, and implored INEC to make available functional BVAS machines in order not to disenfranchise eligible voters.
He urged the voters in his constituency not to be discouraged with the development, but to remain calm and maintain the peace.
Another Senatorial Candidate in Ekiti North Senatorial District, Cyril Fasuyi, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the polls, saying from the information he had gotten so far, the polls had been peaceful.
The APC senatorial candidate, expressed confidence of emerging victorious because of the goodwill he enjoys from the people and contributions to the development of his area constituency.
In the same vein, the House of Representatives candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr Babatunde Ajayi, popularly known as “T- Cash”, said his mandate was divine, and described the conduct of INEC as “fantastic so far’’.
He expressed optimism that his people would cast their votes appropriately, and promised to ensure that they enjoy the dividends of democracy if elected.
-(NAN)
KN
Tags: Gov. Biodun Oyebanji
