Voting in the Presidential and National Assembly Election has commenced in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.
Voters had thronged various polling units in the state capital, Ado Ekiti and Ikere Ekiti as early as 7:30am local time.
It was observed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials arrived the polling units very early waiting for the voters.
This development is not unconnected with the fact that the state INEC received all materials, both sensitive and insensitive, from the national headquarters much earlier than the usual forty-eight hours to election.
The Head, Voter Education and Publicity of Ekiti INEC, Temitope Akanmu, had told Voice of Nigeria that the materials were subsequently distributed to all the sixteen local government areas of the state, a situation that gave the Commission ample time to set up earlier.
The state deputy Governor, Mrs Afuye Monisade, who cast her vote at Atiba/Aafin Unit 003 in Ikere Ekiti, said the exercise has been going on smoothly, while also commending INEC for good preparations and implementation.
“You can see that everything is going on fine. I have cast my vote and I pray that at end of the exercise there won’t be any issue. The INEC preparations had been superb as well as the security agents. They have all done well,” she said
In a similar vein, the state’s former deputy Governor, Olusola Eleka, who cast his vote at Unit 13, Ward 2 in Okeruku, Ikere Ekiti Local government, said the election has been peaceful in his area, noting that there was no issue of violence or malpractices.
He also commended the INEC for a good outing so far
“If it’s going on the way it is now, at least I can only judge by what I see around me, I think the INEC is doing well, the process has been smooth,” he said.
Ekiti State, according to INEC records, has a total of 988,923 registered voters, out of which 734,746 persons have collected their Permanent Voters Card as at the last governorship election in the state in 2022.
Confidence Okwuchi
