Ballot Snatching, Low Turnout Mar Assembly Poll in Ekit

Cases of ballot snatching and general low turnout of voters yesterday marred the conduct of the Assembly election in Ekiti State.
The State comprises of 26 constituencies across the `16 local Government Areas.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele had after casting his vote at Afao/Araromi Ward , unit 001 in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local government Area of the State, lamented that ballot boxes were snatched in some towns, describing the act as barbaric and indecent.

The governor mentioned Ikole Ekiti , Osin, Iludun, and Egbe Ekiti as one of those places where cases of ballot snatching were perpetrated.
The security arrangement was tight, as police, men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well officers of the Department of State Security Service were seen in strategic position in all the towns to prevent breakdown of law and order.

Also, former governors Niyi Adebayo, Kayode Fayemi and a chieftain of Labour Party, Opeyemi Bamidele , hinged the low turnout on the fact
that the presidential election was the first to be conducted in accordance with the INEC’s Time Table.
Fayemi and Bamidele particularly called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to look into the Time Table in future elections and see the possibility of shifting the presidential poll to the last election.

Fayose said: “Violence during election is bad. Only God can enthrone anybody into any position . Snatching ballot boxes on election day will not be in the interest of the electoral process. It is not the best for this country.
“It is my belief that democracy should move forward and not backward.

So, we the stakeholders must put the interest of this country beyond our personal interest so that we can move forward as a nation”. Fayemi, who voted at Ward 11 , Ogilolo unit 009 at Isan Ekiti in Oye Local Government , called on the police to look into the alleged arrest of the APC assembly candidate in Ikere Ekiti , Hon Tope Adedara and to leaders of the party over what he described as trumped-up charges.
In some of the results declared in Ado Local Government, the Peoples Democratic party’s House of Assembly candidates, were in comfortable lead in virtually all the 13 wards in the Council .

In Ward 06, unit 001, Labour Party polled 1, APC 29 and PDP 66, IN unit 002 A, LP 3, APC 14, PDP 67, in Unit 002 B, LP 6, APC 18, PDP
83, in unit 004, LP 1, APC 32, PDP 91.

Also in Ward 11 of the same local government, in Unit 16 Ward 5, LP 12, APC 46, PDP 78, also in Ward 8 Unit 004, LP 1, APC 25, PDP 69, in Unit 005 , APC 24 , PDP 96, in Ward 11, Unit 002 A, APC 20, PDP 129, in Unit 16 B, LP 4, APC, 57, PDP 114 while in Unit 16 A in the same Ward, LP 1, APC 30 and PDP polled 53 votes.