Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has described the Saturday local government election exercise as peaceful and well organised.
The exercise witnessed late deployment of electoral officials and voting materials, alongside low voter turnout across polling units in the 18 local government areas of the state, voting commenced later than scheduled due to delays in the distribution of election materials and the arrival of officials from the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC).
Many polling centres also witnessed sparse voter participation during the exercise.
Despite the setbacks, Governor Okpebholo expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election after casting his vote at Ward 2, Udomi Primary School, in Esan Central Local Government Area.
The governor arrived at his polling unit at about 10:24 a.m. and observed that electoral officials and security personnel were already present, with voting proceeding peacefully.
He said information available to him from various parts of the state showed that the election was being conducted without significant security incidents.
“The election is very peaceful and it is going smoothly based on the feedback we are getting from the field.
“The turnout is very high. This is a demonstration of grassroots democracy. It shows that our people are interested in choosing those who will administer the affairs of their local governments. By the grace of God, a winner will emerge at the end of today’s election,” he said.
The governor appealed to residents to maintain peace while awaiting the official declaration of results by EDSIEC.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate for Esan West Local Government Area, Hon. Blessing Ebhodaghe, admitted that voter participation was below the level typically witnessed during general elections.
Ebhodaghe, who also serves as the acting chairman of the local government council, nevertheless praised residents who turned out to vote despite logistical difficulties encountered in some polling areas.
He further alleged that several eligible voters were unable to cast their ballots because of challenges associated with the recent voter registration and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise, which he said prevented many prospective voters from participating.
The local government election was held across Edo State’s 18 local government areas and 192 wards, with EDSIEC expected to declare the official results after the conclusion of voting and collation.
