By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
There was an impressive turnout of voters in Ede, the home town of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Saturday as residents trooped out to exercise their franchise in the ongoing governorship election.
At Ward 1, Unit 6, Ede, a former military officer, General Bashir Adewinmbi (rtd.), commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as a significant improvement in the organisation of the election.
Adewinmbi, who was a former Commander of Amotekun Corps in Osun State, said election materials arrived on time and that voting commenced promptly, expressing satisfaction with the early conduct of the exercise.
He, however, observed that some voters were initially reluctant to come out because of concerns over perceived intimidation arising from the heightened political tension preceding the election.
According to him, the situation later changed as more residents became confident enough to come out and participate in the process.
“INEC has done wonderfully well this time around. Materials arrived on time, and the process began timely. Initially, voters were sceptical about coming out because of perceived intimidation, but the turnout later became impressive. The people are determined to exercise their franchise,” he said.
Adewinmbi, who spoke confidently about the electoral prospects of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed optimism that the party’s candidate would emerge victorious at the end of the exercise.
His position contrasted sharply with that of Salam Tunde Akeem, Special Adviser to Governor Adeleke on Media, who said the voting process at his location began at about 8:30 a.m.
Akeem said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) had caused some delays at certain polling units, although he noted that the accreditation process had reached about 75 per cent at the time of his assessment.
He explained that voters experiencing difficulties with the BVAS were being advised by INEC officials to remain patient while efforts were made to resolve the technical challenges.
According to him, the challenges had caused some delays but had not prevented the process from progressing.
Akeem also disclosed that there were reports of some political actors allegedly intimidating voters outside Ede, a development he said required the attention of security agencies.
He, however, expressed confidence that Governor Ademola Adeleke would win the governorship election.
