A good number of electorate trooped out to vote for their candidates on Saturday in the 2023 presidential/National Assembly election in Óyo state and in Ibadan,
The voters who stormed their different polling units as early as 6.30 am ahead of the INEC officials,expressed satisfaction and confidence in the process in the pacesetter state.
Although there hitches in some areas they described the process as peaceful, devoid of rancour hence commended INEC.
The voters were also commended for coming out en masse in the election held across the 33 local government areas in the state on Saturday.
Hazeem Gbolarum, a former deputy governor of Oyo State commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the smooth conduct of Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the state capital, after casting his vote at Ibadan North Local Government Area said INEC did a good job which made the entire exercise you hold peacefully, smoothly and without violence.
Also, a chieftain of Accord in Oyo state, Taofeek Adegboyega Adegoke who spoke with journalists described the exercise as peaceful.
According to him, things have been going on smoothly here. This is ward 10 collation centre, I have been here since 7 am. There are two polling units here. What INEC has done which is also good is that they created more polling units.
“The only problem that I saw is that they don’t have ink pard, people have to go home and look for ink pard and give them. But, it has been good and smooth. The only thing is that they need to continue to improve on it”.
Adegoke who spoke shortly after he casted his vote in Ibadan South West, Ward 10, Unit 10 at the premises of Oke Ado High School in Ibadan urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve in future elections.
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Hakeem Oyedele Alao commended INEC for the introduction of technology into the system.
Alao made this disclosure shortly after he casted his vote at Unit 2, Ward 5 in Ibadan North local government area.
Alao while speaking with journalists, said that INEC has done well.
“INEC has done well. It has been peaceful and going on smoothly. INEC has done their best. There is no report of violence or destruction of anything. The electoral materials arrived on time. So far, so good no sight of vote buying and even if you want to buy votes, there is no money to buy it”.
Likewise chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kazeem Abidikugu who voted at Unit 4, Ward 10, Ibadan South East described the new electoral act as the best for the country.
Abidikugu made this disclosure when he spoke with journalists shorty after he casted his vote.
He said, “My assessment of the election is that I think people are very much aware that they have acknowledged that fact that they need to exercise their civil right. The turn out was very impressive today. I have been voting in the past elections, we dont have much people the way we have it now in the past. People have recognised the importance of this election.
“It has been peaceful, we need to recognise the positive impact of the new electoral act has made in making people to realise the fact that no one can tamper with the result”.
This is as 73 year- old man,Samuel Olabode Olaitan was on Saturday could not cast his vote of casting in Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Olaitan who first arrived the polling unit at Ward 5, Unit 2, Igbeti was glad to find his name on the voters register pasted by INEC but could not scale through the accreditation stage.
Also, the Visually Impaired People Lament INEC’s Unpreparedness For Blind Voters, Participate In Voting Exercise In Ogbomoso
People with the impaired vision on Saturday berated INEC for their unpreparedness for the blind voters in ogbomoso.
They decried the unpreparedness of INEC adhoc staff in attending to them at the polling units.
Tunde Fadiya , a lawyer and a virtually impaired person, who spoke at the Oyo State Special Basic School, Ogbomosho, and Nigerian Training Center for the Blind, in Ogbomoso, Osupa ward 9; Unit 13, lamented that INEC did not give their staff adequate training on Braille Voting Materials.But a virtually impaired people voted in Unit 13, Osupa Ward 9, Ogbomosho area of Oyo State during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
