New Telegraph

Oyo LG polls: Low turnout, ballot stuffing, late arrival violence, mar exercise

Oyo State arrest environmental offenders

The much-awaited local government election into the 33 LGAs of Oyo State held yesterday, but with reports of ballot stuffing, violence, late arrival of electoral officers and electoral materials in some areas. Though the election was peaceful in many areas, there was low turnout of voters in many wards and units due to apathy and non-participation of some political parties, particularly the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

A very grave electoral blunder which could nullify the whole electoral exercise was discovered around 10.00 a.m when members of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ido Local Government Area, discovered that the party’s logo was missing on the ballot papers.

 

However, the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) Chairman; Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju (SAN) and accepted responsibility for the inadvertent error. Immediately, he ordered that election in the area be stopped, and he cancelled it.

 

He promised that the poll would be re-conducted in the area in order to give the party the right to field its candidates including nine Councillors who registered.

 

The ZLP Chairmanship candidate in the affected local government, Opeyemi Semiu Folarin regretted the omission but said that he accepted the genuine apology of the electoral umpire and the promise that the poll would be revisited. In his response to the omission, the OYSIEC Boss said: “I take responsibility for the non-inclusion of the logo of ZLP on the ballot papers of Ido Local Government Council.

 

The printer mistakenly omitted it because we customized the ballot papers of each of the 33 Councils. Each of the local governments has its peculiar logo on the ballot paper. I have cancelled the polls already cast in the area and we are going to reconduct it to correct the error and satisfy the voting right of the people of the area.

 

It will soon be re-conducted. It may even be tomorrow (today). I sincerely apologize”, Olagunju told journalists. In Ibadan, at Ward 9 Unit 6, Ago Tapa, Ibadan North Local Government Area, there were no electoral materials and the officers as at 10.30 a. A Councilorship candidate of ADC, Oyadoyin Olusegun, told Sunday Telegraph that electoral materials had not arrived “because they said there was no vehicle to convey the electoral officers and materials to this place.”

 

The electoral agents and materials with a police woman arrived at 11.06 a.m on motorcycle marked AKN 595 QF. Soon, accreditation and voting commenced. In response to late arrival of voting materials, the OYSIEC Boss extended voting till 5.00 p.m instead of 3.00 p.m in the affected areas in order to make up for the lost hours.

 

Though the government declared restriction of movement between the hours of 1:00 am and 3.00 p.m, enforcement was relaxed as people moved about on motorcycles and vehicles. In Oje Owode, Oke Ogun area of the State, Sunday Telegraph learnt that “there was light movement of people, while others were seen selling wares.

 

Accreditation started on time”. A legal practitioner, Mr. Adeola Fehintola, added that in some parts of Saki, movements were restricted and the turn out some polling units were low. “At about 10.00 a.m, about 10 people can be seen on the queue now.

 

There is low turn-out, though adequate security is provided”, he told Sunday Telegraph. Report from Ibarapa area of the state showed that there was good turn-out. People were casting their votes, and adequate security personnel were on ground. At Ward 10 Unit 2, in Lanlate town, some suspected agents of the PDP were alleged to be thumbprinting there.

 

The APC accused the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Debo Ogundoyin of terrorizing residents with his thugs shooting sporadically in a convoy about town. The Speaker however said that “there was large turnout of voters in the Ibarapa area of the State.

 

This is a new dawn in democracy in Oyo. We shall continue to enlarge the coast of grassroots democracy in Oyo. On security, we are recording peaceful election.

 

“Regarding violence allegation linked to me, I will say that it is false. The social media report is from the opposition. It is a pity that some people still practise politics of bitterness. Absolutely, I am not associated with any violent activity.”

 

In Ogbomoso, areas like Oke – Elerin, Arowomole etc, report had it that there was electoral malpractice, as well as, violence. Some residents said that there were shootings and in the process, a Councillorship candidate was injured and hospitalized

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