By Sade Adewale, Ondo

There was a massive turnout during the Ondo State Governorship election in Ondo City on Saturday.

As of 9 am, polling units visited by The Hope observed that people came out and patiently waited to be accredited and vote. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were busy capturing people for accreditation at various polling units.

In Ward 8, Unit 21, Catholic Junction; Ward 11, Units 18 and 19, Civic Centre; and Ward 11, Unit 33, opposite Civic Centre in Ondo City, a low turnout of voters was recorded because they are newly created polling units.

However, in Ward 8, Units 15 and 16, All Saints Oka; Ward 1, Unit 16, Adeyemi; Ward 1, Unit 16, Ondo East; Ward 7, Unit 20, Mona Clinic; Ward 7, Unit 10, Iluyemi; Ward 7, Unit 5, Yaba; and several other polling units, there was a massive turnout of voters eager to cast their votes.

It was observed that security personnel from the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were on the ground to ensure orderliness at polling units in Ondo.

Meanwhile, accreditation and voting commenced simultaneously in all polling units visited, and the voting process has remained peaceful.

As of the time of filing this report, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was working perfectly in some areas, while in others it was slow. Nonetheless, the election has been hitch-free in the polling units visited.

Speaking with our reporter, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Wale Akinlosotu, said people trooped out in large numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Akinlosotu added that people were exercising their rights, which he described as crucial for every citizen of Nigeria. “The election has been so peaceful, the atmosphere is cordial, and people are happy to come out.

“The security situation is calm, there are no problems, the security agencies are wonderful and efficient, INEC officials are efficient, and the BVAS machines have been working perfectly well,” he said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Lola Fagbemi, said: “INEC officials and election materials arrived at the unit early, but there is a problem with the BVAS machine. The BVAS machine is working slowly and cannot capture some people.

“The election was peaceful in my unit, and there was no vote buying,” Fagbemi noted.

Speaking earlier, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Segun Adegoke, expressed joy over the peaceful atmosphere during the election.

In his words: “I was happy when I came here. The security agencies were friendly with the voters, and they discharged their duties very well.

“There is peace in my unit. The only challenge is the BVAS not working perfectly. It has been discussed before that the BVAS is dangerous because it has not been perfected. They should improve on it or cancel it,” Adegoke added.

Similarly, a governorship candidate under the Zenith Labour Party, Dr Abass Mimiko, noted: “The security personnel are trying, but they allow ‘see and buy’ people to threaten them. They allow voters to show some people their votes and collect money.

“This ‘see and buy’ method will not take us anywhere in this country. People should come out and vote for the candidate of their choice for a better tomorrow,” Mimiko said.

Mrs Adeola Akinrujomu, one of the voters, was extremely happy about the peaceful atmosphere during the exercise and prayed it would last throughout the entire process.

Speaking with The Hope at Babalola Mega Primary School, Ward 7, Units 1–7, voters and party agents expressed satisfaction with the turnout.

Mr Dele Ajayi noted that voters were happy to come out and vote because the atmosphere was peaceful in the city.

Similarly, Mrs Eunice Omolayo described the turnout as impressive, saying, “Today’s turnout is much more encouraging. This shows that people want to vote for the candidate of their choice for the betterment of tomorrow.”