…As Governor Abiodun Lauds Voters On Orderly Conduct
News reports indicated that the local government elections in Ogun State commenced without hitches across the state this morning even as voters and representatives of many political parties expressed optimism on the successful conclusion of the exercise.
Elections into chairmanship and councillorship positions are currently ongoing in the 20 local government councils of the state, with the major political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) saying that they will have a good showing.
A news report indicated that in some polling units monitored in major cities such as Abeokuta, the state capital; Ijebu Ode, Sagamu, Ota and Ilaro, election materials arrived on schedule even as voters expressed confidence that the exercise would be concluded without any hassles.
Findings by some journalists monitoring the exercise also reflected that there was no incident of voter harassment or ballot box snatching so far.
The report contradicts the false alarm raised by a major opposition party in the state to the effect that the election has been bedevilled by violence.
Some voters, however, reportedly complained of late arrival of materials in some polling stations while officials of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) interviewed across the state said materials had reached all polling units as early as possible and that they expected voters to come out in large numbers and exercise their franchise.
Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has commended the people of the state for the orderly manner they conducted themselves during the local government elections.
The governor gave the commendation on Saturday while fielding questions from newsmen after voting at Ita-Osanyin Unit 2, Ward 3, Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the State.
Abiodun, who arrived at the polling booth at 11:10 am and voted at 11:22 am, noted that the peaceful atmosphere across the State was an indication that the people are ready to elect the candidate of their choice.
The governor said: “I want to thank the good people of Ogun State who have come out in their numbers to express themselves through the ballots. I see this as a vote of confidence, particularly at this time.
“I am confident that when the elections are concluded and the people have expressed their choice through the ballot everybody will be happy.”
He acknowledged some hiccups in the process, but expressed confident in the ability of the State Independent Electoral Commission to surmount it.
Abiodun said: “I want to appreciate the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) for the level of preparedness for this election. The feedback I have gotten is that they are very thorough and they have been very diligent.
“In any election, you cannot rule out some logistical hiccups but by and large, I have been informed that that is over now and electoral materials have reached all polling booths in the State and the process of voting has commenced in earnest”, he added.
The governor commended men and women of the law enforcement agencies for working collaboratively to ensure a peaceful election in the State.
Also, he lauded the media for giving adequate coverage to the processes leading to the election and pleaded with them to be objective in their reportage to avoid confusion and disaffection, adding that “when there is no misinformation, there will be no confusion.”
