As Osun State conducted local government council elections across the state, low turnout of voters, as well as absence of security operatives in polling units highlighted the exercise.
Although some wards and polling units witnessed a large turnout of voters, majority of the units where voting took place recorded low turnout compared to the last governorship election in the state.
Voting did not take place in some polling units in Osogbo, Olorunda local government areas and in most polling units of Ilesa-West, Ilesa-East, Irewole, where Remi Abass was killed during the council takeover crisis, Isokan and Ayedaade local government areas.
Most places visited showed that voting took place in most of the local government areas where there are elected or appointed officials, including Ede-South, which houses the governor’s residence, Ede-North, Egbedore, Odo-Otin, Boripe, Ejigbo, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Orolu, Obokun, Oriade, Ife-Central, Ife-North and Ife-East.
Also, it was observed that security operatives were not at any of the polling units visited by reporters while voters conducted their activities peacefully.
Police were, however, sighted on the major ways mounting roadblocks and checking vehicles passing through the barricades.
It was gathered that one person was killed at Ilesa-East local government but it was not clear if the reported death was connected to the election.
Meanwhile, a trending video on social media showed that polling officials in Ejigbo were arrested with polling materials and were not allowed to proceed to the polling units.
The OSIEC Chairman, Mr Hashim Abioye described the process as peaceful, lamenting the arrest of some of its polling officials across the local government in a bid to disrupt the election.
‘I want to assure our people that those who are still awaiting the arrival of our electoral officials, I want to tell them that it was because the Police arrested some of our officials for committing no crime at all, against no lawful order of any court, but as it is we have deployed materials to those polling units because we have enough on ground. As I am talking to you, voting is ongoing in those places’, he said.
Meanwhile, in most of the polling units visited there was an early opening and closure of polls, with some concluding the exercise as early as 9 am.
A voter at Ward 1 Unit 1 in Iragbiji, Boripe local government, Abayomi Abiodun, disclosed that polling started as early as 7:30 am and closed around 11 am. The polling official, Ibrahim Adewale disclosed that accreditation and voting were carried out simultaneously.
A voter at Ward 4, unit 15 in Osogbo local government disclosed that he was surprised when he got to the units and discovered that voting had been concluded, saying many electorates in the area were disenfranchised.
Findings also showed that early opening and closing of voting occurred in many polling units as Governor Ademola Adeleke voted at his Sagba/Abogunde ward 2, polling unit 9 around 7:50 am.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC), described the exercise as a charade and the state sliding into the stone age, adding that the OSIEC boss is a PDP-card-carrying member.
A party chieftain, Jamiu Olawumi, who spoke on behalf of the Party Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said, ‘What they did in Ife-Central local government is not an election. Some people were thumb-printing ballot papers for the electorates ditto for Egbedore where a school principal and a PDP member were snatching ballot boxes from one polling unit to another to stuff ballot papers into it. This is nothing but a charade and we are resolute in our decision in line with the Appeal Court judgement that there is no vacancy in the 30 local government council areas of the state’, he said.
Similarly, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Chairman, Adewale Adebayo said what happened in Osun was not an election but a lockdown.
‘What we experience in Osun State today is not election but lockdown because people refuse to participate in the illegal poll except Ede town where only a few members of the PDP voted in some polling units of top political appointees of the governor.
‘Our party is vindicated with this exercise of our earlier apprehension that OSIEC can never conduct any meaningful election since its chairman, Hashim Abioye is a card-carrying member of PDP and serves Adeleke as Special Adviser Legal matters and served as PDP caretaker Secretary’.
Meanwhile, like Governor Adeleke, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Adewale Egbedun voted at Asi Ward 9 unit 5 in Odo-Otin local government; former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola also voted at his Okuku home town polling units while House of Representatives member, Hon. Bamidele Salam voted at his Unit 1 Awo/Abudo ward, in Egbedore local government.
Also, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Kazeem Akinleye, perform his civic responsibility at Alusekere Ward 5, Unit 9. The Deputy Governor and Chairman, Uniosun Governing Council Chair, Professor Wale Oladipo voted at the same Ilode ward 1, Unit 1 in Ife-Central local government.
As at the time of filing this report, journalists did not know where the results would be announced as the OSIEC headquarters is still under seal since Thursday by the police.
