The incident, which happened at the St. Paul Primary School, Omu-Aran at about 1:00 pm, saw people of the area gathering to catch a glance, while others scampered from the scene.
Reacting to the development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) camp accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of intimidation with federal might, saying that the helicopter had allegedly brought electoral materials with thumb-printed ballot papers in an attempt to rig the election.
In its counter-accusation, a member of the APC camp, Yahaya Seriki, who is a monitoring officer for the poll and former APC governorship aspirant, said the ruling party was desperate with its accusation.
Also speaking, the head, public affairs of the INEC, Kwara State, Jacob Ayanda, debunked the speculation that the helicopter carried INEC materials, saying they already had and distributed necessary election materials.
The Kwara State police command denied any knowledge of the reported deployment of police helicopter to Omu-Aran.
The spokesman of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said that he was not aware of such development.
He, however, said the reason behind the presence of the helicopter in the area, if true, could not be outside protection of law and order before, during and after the Saturday by-election in the area.
Impressive turnout, as Kwara REC adjudges election peaceful
Largely, youth and women formed a majority of voters in the Saturday by-election, with the election witnessing an impressive turnout of eligible voters in Oro, Omu Aran and Ajase Ipo.
The election, which was adjudged peaceful by stakeholders in the areas visited, however, witnessed complaints about malfunctioning of card readers in some areas like pulling unit 005, omu Aran, imoji/Ilale ward 3, and Ijelu 003 Ayedun ward in Isin LGA, where card reader reportedly not working and voting commenced late.
The party agents of the PDP, therefore, accused officers of the electoral body of complicity, saying that the measure was aimed at disenfranchising their supporters where they have strength.
However, INEC officers and ad-hoc staff at polling stations visited, said that issue of malfunctioning of card readers were quickly resolved at INEC offices where the machine was replaced.
Speaking shortly after his assessment of the exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara State, Garba Madami, described the by-election as peaceful while speaking with newsmen.
He charged Nigerians should emulate the people of the constituency because of the way they conducted themselves for the election on Saturday.
“I am very happy with the turnout of voters and the peaceful way the people here have conducted themselves. This is how election should be. This is the spirit of election and I want Kwarans to keep this up and Nigerians should emulate them” Madami said.
He said the reports he has received were positive if not for some places where there were card readers hitches which were resolved in the due course.
Despite rumours in some quarters of vote-buying, Madami denied there was anything like that. In any case, he said, he has not received any news of such.
He urged Nigerians with defaced cards to approach his office for a replacement as they may have problems voting.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the bye election became necessary after the death of the former holder of the office, Ms. Funke Adedoyin, on Friday, Sept. 28, in Abuja.
Substantial numbers of security personnel including police, civil Defence , the army, immigration were seen patrolling major streets in the affected communities and also stationed in the polling units.
Accreditation and voting were momentarily held up in some polling units as INEC engineers were seen going round the affected units and making frantic efforts to restore some card readers found to have malfunctioned.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bolaji Fafowora, in his assessment, expressed happiness with the peaceful atmosphere in which the election was being conducted.
He expressed optimism that the maturity displayed by the electorates so far would be sustained till the end of the exercise.
Mr Abdulraheem Olawuyi, the APC candidate in the election spoke with newsmen after casting his vote at Olupo-Odo, Omu-Aran Ward 1, expressing satisfaction with the security arrangement.
Similarly, Mr Saheed Alatise, the PDP candidate, on his part, also expressed satisfaction with the exercise, commending INEC for the prompt distribution of electoral materials and also the high level security arrangement put in place.
In the same vein, the Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, praised the politicians for the high level maturity exhibited so far and urged them to maintain the tempo.
APC, PDP bicker over arrest of gov aide
The poll, was, however, not without drama and tension expected to characterise the election in the state, which was until few months ago a stronghold of the APC but was lost to the opposition APC due to the running battle between the Presidency/APC top echelon and Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Accusations and counter-accusations trailed the Saturday by-election, as the PDP accused the opposition party APC of alleged intimidation of its members with the use federal security operatives, stating that a governor’s aide was arrested without just cause, a claim that the APC disclaimed, noting that the arrested PDP chieftain was in the wrong.
The PDP, which condemned reported arrest of Special Adviser to the governor on Agriculture and Rural Water Support Services, Anu Ibiwoye, during the by-election, said that some other members of the party were allegedly whisked away by security operatives before the poll.
It was gathered that Ibiwoye and his driver were arrested on Saturday afternoon by security men in his hometown of Ijan in Esie and were reportedly taken to an unknown destination.
Reports also had it that the special adviser and his driver were engaged in a fight with one of the agents of the APC at Agbele community during the exercise before the security operatives deployed to the town made the arrest to forestall further attacks.
However, the leadership of APC in a statement said that the special adviser to the governor was arrested by security operatives based on alleged electoral offences.
A statement by the APC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Kayide-Oyin Zubair, said that the governor’s aide was arrested at Agbele town when he allegedly posed as an APC chieftain at a polling unit of Esie/Ijan ward.
When contacted, the state police command Public Relations Officer, Okasanmi said “I am not aware of the arrest at this time.”
But, the PDP, in a statement issued in Ilorin signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr Tunde Ashaolu, described the arrest as unlawful and barbaric, and demanded the immediate release of its members.
“We condemn this act of impunity by the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) and demand the unconditional and immediate release of Hon. Anu Ibiwoye and all our members that have been indiscriminately arrested by the security agents,” the statement read.
The PDP also accused the FG and the APC of using state institutions to harass and intimidate opposition members, stressing that this act constitutes a threat to the nation’s democracy.
Information minister expresses confidence in APC’s chances
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, voted at PU 006, Ile Onikoyi Ward II, Oro at about 9.45 a.m.
The minister said this in Oro, Kwara while addressing journalists after casting his ballot, expressed satisfaction at the peaceful conduct of the exercise.
Mohammed added that the election in Oro and other polling units in the local government was generally peaceful.
He commended INEC for organising a peaceful and hitch-free by-election in the four local government areas of the constituency.
The minister also commended the conduct of the security personnel in maintaining peace and orderliness during the accreditation and voting.
Mohammed, however, added that it was early to start receiving situation reports from the polling booths across the four local governments.
He expressed confidence that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), would emerge victorious at the end.
“I am confident that my party, APC will win the election, I can’t say otherwise. APC will be victorious,” the minister added.
Thugs allegedly invade communities ahead of poll
Earlier in the day, the APC, which is in the opposition in the state, had alerted security agencies over the influx of thugs into some Kwara communities ahead of the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-ero Federal Constituency bye-election.
Mr Femi David, the Personal Assistant on Media to Mr Raheem Olawuyi, the APC candidate, had raised the concern in a statement issued and made available to newsmen on Friday in Omu-Aran.
The statement identified some of the communities as; Iji-isin, Ijara-Isin, Owu-isin, Iwo-isin, Oke-onigbin, Esie, Osi, idofin-igbana, Omu-Aran among others.
It stated that the thugs were purposely brought into the areas to instil fear in the minds of the voters ahead of the all important poll.
The party said it viewed the development, which had caused unnecessary panic among residents, as undemocratic and an attempt to disenfranchise its patriotic and loyal supporters.
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