PDP in early lead in Ekiti Assembly polls

Some of the results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission in Ekiti State, on Saturday, put the People’s Democratic Party in early lead, in an election marred by ballot box snatching in some areas.The result obtained by one of our correspondents in Ward 1, Unit 17, Oke Egbe, Aramoko-Ekiti showed PDP had 86; APC, 56 and LP, 09.In Ward 1, Unit 23, Market Square, Aramoko-Ekiti the result indicated that PDP scored 95; APC polled 40 while LP got 20 and there was one void vote.

For Unit 1, Ward 15, Baptist Primary School, Aramoko, Ekiti-West council area, APC scored 35; PDP 87 and LP 31.

There was a hot argument over the result of Atilodo, Ilodo, Unit 1, Ward 3, Oye Constituency 1, Oye LGA.

Supporters of the All Progressives Congress kicked when two void votes were counted among the valid ones accruable to the PDP.

The matter was later resolved with the result showing APC scoring 60 and PDP polling 32.

There was low turnout of voters and ballot snatching in the state’s House of Assembly election.

Governor Ayodele Fayose, after voting at St. David Primary School, Afao, Unit 2 on Saturday, alleged that ballot boxes were snatched in some towns, describing the act as barbaric.

He identified Ikole, Osin, Iludun, and Egbe Ekiti as some of the places where there were cases of ballot snatching.

Fayose said, “Violence during an election is bad. Snatching ballot boxes will not be in the interest of the electoral process. It is not the best for this country.”

Also, thugs said to be loyal to a yet-to-be-identified political party in the state stormed a polling unit at Igando, along Aramoko/Erijiyan Road in Aramoko, Ekiti-West Local Government Area, carting away a ballot box.

Sources told one of our correspondents that the hoodlums escaped with the box through a bush path near where a big canopy was erected for the exercise.

The development, it was learnt, occurred after voting had ended and counting was about to begin.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, party agents and voters in the polling unit were helpless as the thugs made away with the box.

One of the sources said, “It was like a dream. They stormed the place in a jiffy, hijacked the ballot box and escaped. The unarmed police officer could not stop them.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state INEC. Mr. Taiwo Gbadegesin, said he would contact the commission’s officer in charge of the council area and get across to our correspondent.

However, he did not pick further calls and had yet to contact our correspondent at the time of filing this report.

A former Ekiti Governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and a former governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Opeyemi Bamidele, however, blamed the low turnout on people’s low enthusiasm.

Adebayo said, “The presidential election is more important to people. Once it’s held, many people don’t show interest again. Maybe the story would have been different if governorship election had held in the state.”

Other results obtained include those of Ado 1, Dallimore/Adebayo Estate, Unit 3A, Ward 9, Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area, where APC got 29; LP, 15 and PDP, 65.

In Ado 1, Unit 3B, Ward 9, Dallimore/Adebayo Estate, Ado-Ekiti LGA, APC polled 15 votes; LP 18 while PDP scored 54.

In Ward 2, unit 4 in Oye, PDP scored 59 to APC 40. In Ado Ekiti Ward 9 unit 8, PDP polled 164 against APC’s 43 while in Ward 10 unit 17, APC polled 56 against PDP’s 159.

In Ward 5, unit 16; PDP got 78, APC 46, LP 12; 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 16A in the same Ward, LP got 1, APC 30 and PDP 53 votes.