Ekiti Poll Result may come Earlier than Expected, Voting Seamless

Sat, Jul 14, 2018 | By publisher


Politics

IMPRESSIVE turn-out of voters was the hallmark of the governorship election in Ekiti state on Saturday and results may be announced earlier than expected as voting has been seamless in many polling units.

Many voters turned out at most polling centres across the 16 Local Governments and 177 Electoral wards in the state, despite initial apprehension few days to the poll. There were only a few hiccups with the card reader.

The elements also favoured the polls as there was no sign of rain in the towns and villages.

In every place visited, the voters formed long queues as security agents stood by, monitoring the exercise.

There was no complaint about late arrival of voting materials.

Some foreign observers during the poll

NAN reports that the only problem was controlling the crowd of voters who kept trooping to various voting venues.

However, there were incidents of altercations over open inducement of voters.

But none of the 35 participating parties owned up to the inducement allegation, as the parties traded blames.

NAN learnt that highest money doled out as inducement in some instances was N5,000, while the lowest was N3,000.

At Iyin-Ekiti, hometown of former Gov. Niyi Adebayo who is a newly elected Deputy National Deputy Chairman, (South) of APC, elections went on smoothly in the two wards in the town.

Voting was was peaceful also at Ise-Ekiti, hometown of a former Works Minister and a former gubernatorial aspirant under PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye. Scores of eligible voters that trooped conducted themselves peacefully.

NAN reports tat Adeyeye, who came out to vote at about 9:30am, commended the voters, security agents and INEC.

Adeyeye switched to the All Progressives Congress after the PDP primary, accusing the incumbent PDP governor of hijacking the exercise.

Meanwhile, a security cordon has been thrown on Ekiti as the simultaneous accreditation and voting process is set to commence in Saturday’s governorship election.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) spread across the three senatorial districts report that armed policemen and personnel of sister security agencies such as the NSCDC, NDLEA and the FRSC were sighted at strategic locations.

In Ikere-Ekiti, hometown of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, Prof. Olusola Kolapo, there was heavy security presence, with personnel of the police and NSCDC keeping vigil on the fringes of polling units.

At the Ofamofuru Polling Unit 007, Ward 02, of the PDP candidate, no fewer than 10 mobile police officers were sighted keeping vigil.

In Isan-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti North Senatorial District, where the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, hails from, there was also heavy security presence.

At the Polling Unit 009 Ward 11 of the APC flagbearer, no fewer than five policemen were seen maintaining law and order as at 7.30 a.m.

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An-old-woman-accredited-to-vote

There was also tight security at the Unit 2 Ward 7, Federal Housing Estate Polling Unit, in Ado-Ekiti Central Senatorial District, with five policemen sighted.

NAN reports that the police had deployed 30,000 operatives, two helicopters and 250 patrol vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers, for the election.

The security operation for the poll would be supervised by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, Joshiak Habila, who would be assisted by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, four Commissioners of Police, eight Deputy Commissioners of Police and 18 Assistant Commissioners of Police.

Each Senatorial district would be manned by a Commissioner of Police while no fewer than four policemen and two others from other security agencies will be on duty at each polling unit throughout the state.

NAN further reports that Commissioners of Police and their personnel in states close to Ekiti such as Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Ogun, Edo and Oyo had been directed to be on the red alert with their personnel.

The Police Mobile Force Unit, Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Special Protection Unit, the Anti-Bomb Squad, the Armament Unit, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and the sniffer dogs section would also participate in the joint security effort.

The police had said that a threat assessment had been carried out in the state and all identified flashpoints and trouble-prone areas had been addressed.

Restriction on vehicular movement in and out of Ekiti State also commenced from midnight of Friday and would be in place till the end of the election while travellers and other road users were advised to make use of alternative routes.

NAN reports that those on essential duties were, however, being granted passage.

NAN further reports that other security and safety agencies, including the military and FRSC, who are members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in the state, would complement the police during the election.

Already, the NSCDC had deployed 19,997 personnel for the exercise and had also ordered the deployment of mobile surveillance vehicles and sniffer dogs.

Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Olusola Eleka has not been able to vote as polling opened in Ekiti today.

The Nation tweeted that INEC’s card reader failed to read Olusola’s PVC and that of his wife.

“It is only the PDP candidate’s PVC that was not read by the card reader in his unit. Everyone else has been verified so far and voting ongoing”, The Nation said.

“There is no assurance that another card reader would be brought. No use of incidence form.

“Meanwhile, a large turnout of voters still in a long queue in Eleka’s unit.’ – NAN

– July 14, 2018 @ 5:26 GMT |

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