IGUOBAZUWA – Edo State Deputy Governor, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, has commended voters in Ovia South West Local Government Area for their peaceful conduct and impressive turnout during Saturday’s local government election.
Idahosa gave the commendation shortly after casting his vote at Iguobazuwa West Ward, Unit 3, located at Edo National College, Iguobazuwa, at about 10:24 a.m.
Expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, the Deputy Governor noted that reports received from across the local government indicated that the election had remained peaceful.
“You can see the mammoth crowd that came to vote,” he said.
“We have been getting a lot of reports across the local government, and everything has been peaceful. There is no record of any violence across the local government. We pray it remains the same across the state.”
At Udo Ward 5, Unit 23, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate for Ovia South West Local Government, Anthony Osarobo, cast his vote at about 10:58 a.m., amid a large turnout of supporters and eligible voters.
Speaking with journalists after voting, Osarobo expressed confidence in securing victory, attributing his optimism to the overwhelming support demonstrated by voters in his polling unit.
“I am impressed by the turnout and confident of victory based on the support shown by the people,” he said.
A visit to polling units at Ezoti Primary School, Udo, and Udo Primary School at about 10:52 a.m. and 10:53 a.m., respectively, also revealed a steady flow of voters arriving to cast their ballots.
Many of the voters interviewed described the exercise as peaceful, orderly and transparent.
A voter at Iguobazuwa West Ward, Beauty Uwagboi, described the process as free and fair.
“The election went calmly. People came out en masse and the turnout has been impressive,” she said.
Similarly, the APC Local Government Women Leader, Mrs. Adesuwa Ajari, who monitored the exercise at Unit 4, Edo National College, Iguobazuwa, commended the peaceful atmosphere.
“People came out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice. The process has been peaceful and free of rancour,” she said.
The Presiding Officer at Iguobazuwa West Ward, Unit 4, Mr. Olaniyi David, disclosed that election materials arrived at the polling unit as early as 8:00 a.m., adding that the accreditation and voting process proceeded without any incident.
“Our materials arrived on time, and there has been no issue whatsoever at this polling unit,” he said.
Also speaking, the APC Ward Chairman for Udo Ward 5, Mr. Elvis Idahosa, described the voter turnout at Unit 23 as encouraging.
“Our turnout is impressive here. Everybody is happy to have our chairmanship candidate vote here, and we expect similar participation across the ward’s 26 polling units,” he said.
Another voter, Edamwen Supreme, also praised the peaceful conduct of the election.
“The process has been free and fair, and everyone is happy. Election materials arrived as early as 8:00 a.m. We are now waiting for the outcome,” he said.
Similarly, Ogiefa Osaigbovo, another voter, said the early arrival of electoral materials contributed to the smooth conduct of the exercise.
“The election has been peaceful. There has been no casualty, the process has been free and fair, and the turnout has been good,” he added.
Across the polling units visited, election materials were observed to have been fully deployed, while officials of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) were on ground to accredit voters and supervise the voting process in an orderly manner.