There was a heavy turnout of voters in the Edo Central senatorial district of the state for the governorship election, as some of the voters arrived early at the voting centres.
In Idinrio, Okaigben, in Ward 1 Unit 3, where the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, is expected to cast his vote, voters have seated for hours expecting the arrival of INEC officials, who arrived at around 10:31 am.
The voters organised themselves under a canopy to avoid being beaten by the rain and waited patiently for the arrival of the INEC officials.
The security operatives attached to the unit, who arrived at the venue as early as 8:34 am, assured the voters that the officials were on their way.
The presence of the governorship candidate of the PDP changed the atmosphere and assured the voters that the voting would commence soon.
He lamented over the lateness of INEC officials and electoral matters to the area and called for a three-hour extension to accommodate every voter
Speaking during an interview, Ighodalo said, “Our people have been patient and I love the way they have been patient, though they are here now.”
Speaking on reports across the state, he said, “I want to keep an open mind because we had rumours before that INEC has been compromised, but I don’t want to believe; I want to give the benefit of the doubt that INEC will create a free and level playing field.
“What I heard before is that INEC will be suppressed in our stronghold but I still want to give the benefit of the doubt and let’s see how things will go in the next few hours.
“We noticed that in many of the strongholds, there’s a delay, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions because the INEC chairman has assured us that they are going to do everything humanly possible to ensure a free and fair election. I don’t see any reason why we should not believe them, and the rest of the day will show whether they truly acted to their words.
According to him, “In one of the wards here, ward 10, in my local government, there’s no material, no officials; we don’t have anything yet but it may be because of the distance.
“But I want everybody to be calm and should come out to vote; they shouldn’t be intimidated. They should come out in numbers to vote; they shouldn’t be afraid of anything, because when you come out to vote in numbers, you will prevail, but when you allow yourself to be cowed or intimidated, then your will is subverted, and what they need today is for the will of the people to prevail.
“One thing that is bothering me is that there are people moving around and not in police or army uniform, and they are arresting our supporters. As we have in Uromi ward 8 unit 3, one of our men is arrested by some men in mufti, carrying guns. Nobody should carry a gun to the polling unit; it is against the law, rules and regulations.”
However, Ighodalo and his wife Ifeyinwa voted at his Okaegben ward one, unit 3, Ewohimi, after the exercise officially commenced at 10:45 am due to the late arrival of INEC officials.
Before Ighodalo voted, some elderly men and women, including people living with disabilities, were given preference to cast their vote.
Voters were also accredited and cast their notes at vote at units 3 and 15, in Okaegben ward one, Ewohimi, in Esan South East Local Government of Edo state
An 80-year-old woman, Madam Ruth Bello, who spoke with our reporter after her voting, described the election as peaceful, saying that nothing in the process was easy
Speaking with journalists shortly after voting, Pa Wilson Bello said the voting process was simple and very easy, saying “If the INEC officials continue like this, voting would end by 2 p.m”
She appealed to the people to be orderly and patiently wait to protect their vote and wait for the outcome of the election.
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