The House of Assembly election in Ondo state, on Saturday, witnessed large turnout of voters in the state, but not without complaints of vote buying, alleged snatching of electoral materials and disruptions of voting in some areas.
Electoral materials arrived at the various polling units as early as early as 7:30 am while the exercise commenced at exactly 8 am in most of the polling units in the state.
However, the two main political parties in the state, the People Democratic apart (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) traded blame over vote buying and snatching of electoral material.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in Akure South constituency 1, Hon. Ebenezer Adeniyan and some youths apprehended some members of the political party who were distributing money at ward 8, Adu Memorial polling unit, in Oke Aro.
Adeniyan alleged the ruling APC of distributing money across the units in Akure, disclosing that some unspecified amount of money was seized from the APC agents who were moving around distributing the money.
The Chairman of PDP in the state, Chief Clement Faboyede, also alleged the ruling APC of vote buying and hijacking of ballot boxes and electoral materials in the state.
Faboyede, while speaking with newsmen, explained that a chieftain of the APC in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state, left his voting unit to disrupt the voting process in another unit within the town
He said that the APC chairman led some hoodlums to some polling units 5 and 6Â in the town but said voters at the polling unit resisted the moves and chased them away.
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According to him, information from other senatorial districts of the state indicated that APC hoodlums have been hijacking electoral materials in some coastal communities.
He disclosed that all five ballot boxes in the coastal community of Ayetoro in Ilaje local government area were carted away by hoodlums suspected to be political thugs.
However, the APC chairman, Hon. Ade Adetimehin accused the PDP in the state of ballot snatching and vote buying.
Adetimehin said the election was monetised and characterised with being of votes, alleging the PDP of behind the act while the security operatives have challenges in curtailing the illegal activities of the criminal minded people at the polling units.
He said the PDP embarked on vote buying because of its waning popularity in the state but stated that APC would not fold its arms to allow the impunity.
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