Low turnout, late arrival of electoral officers, materials mar Edo LG polls

Low voter turnout, late arrival and absence of electoral materials and officers marred the conduct of the Edo State Local Government elections into the 18 councils and 192 wards of the state.

DAILY POST reports that the election is being conducted by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC.

Asides the late arrival of electoral materials and low voter turnout, only agents of the All Progressives Congress, APC, were present at all the polling centres visited.

A visit to several voting centres in Oredo and Egor Local Government Areas showed the absence of electoral officers and materials.

As of 10:30 a.m., electoral officers and materials were yet to arrive at the UNICAF Group of Schools in Ugbiyokho by Powerline Bus Stop in Egor Local Government Area.

No eligible voter was seen around the centre except two female officers of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

There were also no voters at a polling unit located at Asoro Slope along Ekenwa Road.

At the former Garrick Memorial School, the designated EDSIEC Registration Area Centre for Ward 1, Oredo Local Government Area, only a few voters were seen as of 10:30 a.m.

At Units 46 and 47 of the same ward, located at Oba Market and Yanga Fish Market, electoral officers arrived with voting materials at about 11:45 a.m., while no voter was in sight.

Also, a few voters were present at Units 19 to 47 in Ward 12, as well as at a polling centre located inside Urhokpota Hall.

Ward 4, located at Emokpae Primary School on Mission Road, with several polling units, also recorded a low turnout of voters.

The same was recorded at several polling units in Ward 12 located at the Forestry Road office of the Edo City Transport Service (ECTS).

A voter, Mrs Blessing Odion, said the exercise had been seamless.

Odion said the turnout was low but believed that voters were engaging in a walk-in voting pattern, where they come, vote and leave.

She noted that the materials arrived at the centre early.

At Asoro Primary School along Sakponba Road, a few voters were also present to cast their votes.

A voter, who did not mention her name, said voting started as early as 9:00 a.m.

DAILY POST also observed that electoral materials arrived late in most of the polling units in Wards 8 and 10 of Egor Local Government Area.

It was gathered that as of 9:00 a.m., voters who had arrived early at Units 9, 10, 11 and 12 of Ward 10, located inside Ugbowo Primary School, were still waiting for the electoral officers and voting materials.

The situation was reported to be the same at Units 42, 44 and 51.

Meanwhile, as of 9:35 a.m., voting commenced at Units 1 to 10 of Ward 8, Egor Local Government Area, situated inside Uselu Secondary School.

Speaking to newsmen, a voter who identified himself as Mr Moses Osadolor, and who voted at Unit 5, said voting started early in the area because it was the local government distribution centre for electoral materials.

Osadolor added that voting started a few minutes before 9:00 a.m. as against the scheduled 8:00 a.m.

He, however, lamented that there were no chairs and tables for the officials to sit on as they were standing while attending to voters.

According to him, “That alone makes the process fall below standard. Chairs and tables are supposed to be here. Imagine the officials standing.”

He also lamented the low turnout of voters, saying that only he had voted in his unit.

“Only me has voted in this unit. I understand some people came and later went back, thinking they would be able to vote and leave immediately,” he added.

Also speaking, the Supervisory Presiding Officer for Ward 8, Mrs Grace Ahiante, blamed the situation on the inability of the electoral officers to gain access to the classroom.

“We were supposed to get chairs and tables from the classrooms, but they are locked.

“However, one of the councillors volunteered to rent a canopy, chairs and tables, and that is what you see being off-loaded,” she said.

Low turnout, late arrival of electoral officers, materials mar Edo LG polls