By OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti
The conduct of the Ekiti State Gubernatorial election on Saturday commenced on a good note across the state, particularly in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
There was huge turnout of eligible voters in most polling units visited in Ado-Ekiti as accreditation and voting began at 8am in Unit 008, Ado Grammar School.
There was a low turnout in Unit 031 located in Unity Secondary School, Erifun/Ureje, with 86 registered voters.
Only 11 voters were on the queue,but a resident of the area said more voters may turn out later.
At Ola Oluwa Grammar School, Ward 11, unit 13, Ado LGA, voters are more than the manpower. BVAS grossly inadequate to attend to numbers of voters on ground.
While at Efon Alaaye,the countryhome of Bisi Kolawole,the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) in his Ward 008 Unit 001after casting his vote lauded the Independent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for introducing the Bimodal Voter Authentication System (BVAS) into the electoral process.
Kolawole said the technology has improved the credibility of the poll and imbued political actors and voters with more confidence in the electoral system.
The PDP candidate spoke with neswmen in Efon Alaaye, Efon Local Government Aea after voting around 8.35am at Ward 008 unit 001.
He said: “There is great improvement with the application of BVAS. The accreditation and voting were done simultaneously. The process has been accelerated by this. There is an improvement by INEC.
“I am not saying there won’t be manipulation, but the security is doing fine , so as of now, we are having a peaceful process.
“My fears are the general ones that people can be violent as reported in some cases in the past. Though the security men are on ground to respond to such situation”.
Also, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Prof
Adio Folayan, who voted at Ward 04 unit 004 in Efon Alaaye, praised INEC for the exercise.
“You could see people exercising their voting rights unhindered. The situation is clam. There is efficiency in the application of BVAS.
“I voted within five minutes. But in ward 7, the machine is not working and we are seeking replacement and we believe INEC will respond to this” he said.
Also,Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle, Candidate of Action Democratic Party(ADC) denied stepping down from the race.
Speaking with newsmen, she 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 30minutes, I will be joining my supporters to cast my vote.
On his part,the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi cast his vote at Ward 2, Ogilolo Unit 9, Isan-Ekiti this morning.
In a message on his verified Facebook handle,Fayemi called on all eligible voters to come out to perform their civic duty and exercise their right to choose their leadership.
In his words, “You are enjoined to comply with the rules and regulations governing conduct on election day.
“I urge all of us to remain vigilant and to accord the security agencies and other relevant authorities our full cooperation. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
“I wish to remind us that regardless of our partisan allegiances, we are all sons and daughters of this great state. Ekiti is ours to dwell in and build together. Let us vote to perpetuate our land’s heritage of honour and harmony” he said
In similar vein,the Senator representing the Ekiti North Senatorial District at the National Assembly,Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi expressed satisfaction at the presence of heavy security in Ifaki-Ekiti.
“This is not a new phenomenon, at every election should expect the presence of security agents. I’m satisfied with what I’m seeing, you can see Ifaki is peaceful. Their presence has enhanced the peace of this community. Any technological innovation that would enhance the digitization of the electoral process is welcomed.
The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party(SDP), Engr. Segun Oni, arrived the polling unit in his hometown, Ifaki, ward 4, unit 6.
A former Senator who represented the Ekiti North Senatorial District,Senator Ayo Arise while commending the exercise said that the new INEC technology known as BVAS, has enhanced the electoral process, saying the electoral body should be commended for coming up with this technology.
He said, “The whole process is well put together, election has been peaceful so far, people have been conducting themselves peacefully .
“Reports reaching me indicated that there is a large turn out of voters in my community and from what I have seen so far , security arrangement has been excellent.
“Citizens, especially senior citizens are not able to wait and are already going back home. Everywhere is already getting crowded and the crowd getting out of control”
But the Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District,Opeyemi Bamidele,urged the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to improve on the Bimodal Voter Authentication System in the next election.
Bamidele said there was a need for the technological innovation to encompass all facets of electoral process, incuding accreditation, voting and electronic transfer of votes.
The Senator said this in Iyin-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government area, after voting at Ward B unit 003 in the town.
The All Progressives Congress(APC) chieftain, said electronic transfer of votes would not only improve the poll credibility, but would stamp out the fear of people tampering with results at collation centres.
The Chairman,Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, hailed the security arrangements and massive turnout of voters across the state.
He said the upsurge in number of voters substantiated that Nigeria is having a remarkable improvement in the conduct of elections.
“With BVAS, there is no fear of anybody tamepering with the accreditation process and that is the beauty of democracy.
“So, the the next stage for INEC is having electronic transfer of votes. With this, nobody will have any fear of interception at the collation centres and that will add to the integrity of our election”, he said.
Speaking further on the pervasive serenity in Ekiti and massive turnout of voters, Bamidele added: “From the reports I heard from the start of the voting. It has been a peaceful process. We owe it a duty to collectively protect the integrity of this process.
“All of us are bothered with the kind of tension in town before this election, but I am personally happy for the way it has turned out peacefully”.
Also,a member of the National Assembly, Senator Abiodun Olujimi has expressed satisfaction at the large turn out of voters, describing the process as peaceful and heartwarming.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after casting her vote at Ward 7, Unit 7, Iworo quarters, Omuo-Ekiti, Olujimi said, “the turn out was huge and for the first time, nobody is struggling to snatch the ballot box, maybe because of voters education or our experience in the last house of assembly re-run election where we lost three lives or maybe the politicians now know that they have to mobilize to win.
“This time, politician know that there is no short cut, you just have to mobilize, I have been here since morning and the BVAS has not stopped once. People are now better informed and they have turned out en masse to vote.
“Kudos to INEC, the security men are almost half of the voters, maybe because of our past experience but. None of them intimidate voters, they are just doing their job
“INEC has really stepped up its acts, if the situation in my unit is what it is elsewhere the BVAS has not stop working and it has made voting very smooth”, Olujimi said.
