Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and his wife on Saturday cast their votes in the ongoing governorship election in the state.
The governor voted at Polling Unit 003, Ward 06, Okelele Street, in his hometown of Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area.
Speaking with journalists shortly after voting, Governor Oyebanji described the electoral process as peaceful, orderly and hitch-free. He urged voters to remain patient and allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sufficient time to conclude the exercise.
He expressed confidence that the election would be successfully conducted and that all stakeholders would be satisfied with the outcome of the process.
The governor and his wife arrived at the polling unit at approximately 11:38 a.m. before casting their ballots.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Comrade Yinka Folarin, commended INEC for its logistics arrangements and early deployment of election materials across the state.
“So far, I would say INEC’s logistics performance has been encouraging. I would rate the commission’s efforts as very fair,” he said.
According to Folarin, reports from the organisation’s deployed observers indicated that election materials arrived early at most polling units, while voter turnout had also been encouraging.
He noted that the turnout reflected the electorate’s optimism and willingness to exercise their democratic rights.
Folarin stated that election officials were largely adhering to electoral guidelines and procedures across the polling units monitored by the organisation.
Assessing the overall conduct of the election, he said the process had so far been satisfactory.
“The security agencies have been well deployed and properly mobilised. We have observed their presence in adequate numbers across polling units and local government areas,” he stated.
He explained that the organisation had observers deployed across a significant number of local government areas in Ekiti State and was receiving regular reports from the field.
“Up till now, we have not received any reports of security breaches or major challenges. Security personnel have been adequately deployed, and we believe they are capable of addressing any form of intimidation or disruption should it arise,” he added.
However, Folarin cautioned that it was still too early to draw final conclusions on the overall conduct of the election as voting was still ongoing.
