By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
There was a large turnout of voters in several polling units across Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State as the governorship election commenced on Saturday morning.
At about 7:50 a.m. at Unit 7, Ward 10, Ikere Local Government, eligible voters had already trooped out in large numbers to exercise their civic responsibility. The polling unit has a total of 590 registered voters.
Similarly, at Ward 8, Unit 1, located at High Chief Sapetu Ibariba Hall, Ikere-Ekiti, a significant number of voters were on ground awaiting the commencement of accreditation and voting.
The same situation was observed at Ward 8, Unit 4, Ejimo Hall, Ikere, where a large turnout of voters was recorded as residents patiently waited to be accredited by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
One of the voters, Engineer Adebayo Gabriel, a 72-year-old retired government employee of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES), expressed optimism that the election would be peaceful and hitch-free.
Speaking with journalists at his polling unit, Gabriel said he had spent about an hour at the venue and was impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by voters.
“I have been here for about one hour, and I am happy with the turnout. The enthusiasm of the people is encouraging. You can see elderly men and women like me coming out to exercise their civic rights. This shows that people are interested in the democratic process and want their votes to count,” he said.
The retired broadcaster also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the smooth commencement of the exercise, describing the process as orderly and well-coordinated.
“I want to commend INEC for a job well done. From what I have observed so far, the officials are carrying out their duties professionally, and the process has been peaceful,” he added.
Also speaking with journalists at Ward 2, Unit 13, former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Olusola Eleka, expressed satisfaction with the level of voter participation.
“The enthusiasm of the people to exercise their franchise has been impressive. If it continues that way, then the election is going to be very nice. Every political party has people who believe in it, so our party will definitely have a good outing,” he said.
Eleka noted that the general assessment of the election process at the early stage indicated that voters were coming out freely and without any form of inducement.
He added: “I’m hoping that with all efforts put in, my party will definitely carry the day.”
As of the time of filing this report, electoral officials were continuing with accreditation and preparations for voting in the affected polling units, while security personnel maintained their presence to ensure a peaceful exercise across the local government area.
