The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki and Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata have casted their votes in the ongoing Edo State Governorship Election.
NaijaOnPoint.com.ng (NOP) reports Obaseki voted at Emokpae Model Primary School, PU 19, Ward 4 in Oredo Local Government Area of the state while Akpata cast his vote in Oredo ward 6, unit 11.
Speaking shortly after voting, Obaseki said: “You can see the turnout. People came out. You can see the enthusiasm. Its not midday yet and the ballot box in my polling unit is already full.
“So, clearly that tells you people are very interested because they have been mobilised. They are very interested in this election.
“For now, I am glad with what I see. The process in my unit has been quite smooth and efficient. I hope the collation process will be the same; that it will be peaceful, and that the results would be counted and there will be no disruptions.
“I am glad that with the military presence in the State. The federal security agencies have taken over the State. So, at this point in time, I am not the chief security officer. I believe the IG is the chief security officer.
“The military have done well. I am pleased. The Chief of Defence Staff came to see me to give assurances that his men will be on ground and fully deployed, and I have seen that deployment. I am glad that the military is here as a back up but clearly, we are not too sure of what the police is doing”.
Edo election: Akpata votes in Oredo, commends voting process
Olumide Akpata, Labour Party (LP) candidate in the Edo Governorship Election has cast his vote in Oredo ward 6, unit 11, commending the voting process.
Speaking to journalists after voting at about 10:30 am, Olumide said “I voted according to the voting process and everything went well.
“I want to hope that this is the experience of every Edo voter. I cannot make assumptions standing here. I am going to wait for feedback from around the different units and 192 wards in the state.
“We are hopeful that this will be the experience of every Edo voter. I am calling on INEC that the playing field should remain level. Nobody should be given any undue advantage.
“All party agents should be allowed into the collation centres, so that we can all witness the process. Edo election is an off cycle election so INEC should have the luxury of deploying it’s resources to show the world that they can do it well.
“‘The playing field should be totally levelled to allow the best man or women to win. I am hearing some concerning feedback from around the state but I cannot make any statement until I verify the source of my information. We have crossed one hurdle, I have voted and my supporters should be allowed to vote,” he said.
He added that the deployment of tight security personnel was good, but he however expressed concerns if the security were for the voters or certain individuals.