Voter turnout in Saturday’s House of Assembly elections in Ondo State has been low
The gubernatorial election is not held in the state.
Unbridled vehicular movement was noted, contrary to the police restraining order.
Although there were roadblocks in major towns and cities, vehicles were eventually allowed through the barricades.
Most of the voting units visited by PREMIUM TIMES in the Akure metropolis witnessed low voter turnout, and as a result, INEC staff did virtually nothing.
At Fiwasaye Open Field, Akure, Ward 5 Unit 36 with 80 registered voters, as of 9:21 a.m., turnout was also very low, with some voters coming in to cast their ballots.
Despite INEC officials arriving at the voting units on time at 8:00 am, voting did not start until around 9:00 am in many units.
However, the turnout looked encouraging in Oba Ile, in the Akure North local government area, where voters flocked.
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The candidate for governor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections in Ondo state, Eyitayo Jegede, lamented the low turnout and said that it could be due to the disappointment of the presidential and National Assembly elections on 25th of February.
He expressed the hope that before the close of the election, some voters may see the need to go out and cast their ballots.
“The good thing is that the process is peaceful for now and I have voted,” he said.
“We only hope to see more voters turn out as voting continues.
“There is apathy, as was to be expected from what happened in the last elections.”
Hakeem Aderemi, a PDP officer at Voting Unit 07, Ward 09, Akure North, expressed his satisfaction with the turnout, saying more voters could turn up later that day, just before the end of the exercise.
