There was palpable tension and obvious intrigues as card reader failed to recognise the fingerprint of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Professor Olusola Eleka at his Ikere-Ekiti country home, thereby denying him of exercising his civic responsibility.
“The card reader could not recognise my card, they said may be it is bent, but you can see it, it is straight.
“I think I am still the only person being affected here, as others are casting their votes without hindrance.
“I believe the commission will do something very fast to find solution to this “, he said.
9:42 am.
Accreditations, voting commence in Ise, Emure
Reports from Ise-Orun and Emure LGAs as at 9:40am has it that accreditation and voting have commenced in the areas.
Reports of card reader malfunctions, absence of INEC Ad hoc staff in Ekiti West
There are reports that in Ekiti West at about 9: am, no staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was on ground as electorates are still waiting for arrival of electoral materials.
Report says few security personnel could be seen manning some polling units.
However, reports from some other polling units showed that the INEC card readers are having technical fault while the electoral officers are sweating it out to fix them.
Early, massive turnout of voters in Ado-Ekiti
There was an early turnout of voters in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, as electorate already trooped out as early as 6.00 am, trekking long distances to get to their polling units.
Some were trekking as long as five kilometres to be able to vote for the candidates of their choice.
The large turnout could not be unconnected with the high mobilization drives by the two dominant parties, the All Progressives Congress and the
Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
The massive turnout was noticed in Odo Ado, Ijigbo, Ajilosun, Adebayo area, Ilotin, Oke-Bola, Atinkankan, Okeyinmi ke ila. The polling units in those areas already have long queues of prospective voters.
As at 6.45 pm, security and election materials were already arriving in those units.
Some of the voters trekked from hamlets located at Eminrin Erunfun located along Afe Babalola University way in the state capital to the heart of Ado Ekiti to exercise their franchise rights.
Today’s election is going to be a straight fight between Dr Kayode Fayemi of the APC and Prof Kolapo Olusola of the PDP.
Today, July 14, 2016, the electorates in Ekiti, the Fountain of Knowledge would march to polling booths across the state to elect a new governor of the state.
The eventual winner of today’s contest will take over from Peter Ayodele Fayose, the incumbent governor.
Fayose is expected to take a bow from the government house having successfully completed his tenure as enshrined in the constitution.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had since released names of 40 successful candidates, who have indicated interest in becoming the next governor of the state and met the requirements.
However, among the 40 contenders, 34 candidates will participate in the poll as some candidates withdrew few days to the election.
Two persons have, however, been tipped for the position.
The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the current deputy governor of the state, Professor Kolapo Olusola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the two top contenders.
Hence, the Saturday election has been widely narrowed down as a straight contest between Fayemi, a former governor of the state, and Kolapo, Fayose’s deputy.
While Fayemi is having the support of the APC-led government, Kolapo is enjoying the support of his boss, Fayose and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
All is set for today’s governorship poll in Ekiti State as political campaigns had come to an end on Thursday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission began the sharing of sensitive materials to all the secretariats of the 16 local government areas on Thursday under tight security.Factors that will determine the winner in this election will include the candidate’s personality and acceptability, party strength, support of critical segments of the population, policies of the government in power, manifestos of the parties seeking to upstage it and of course, the party’s financial war chest.
The two parties have some party chieftains they are relying upon in their respective domains to swing viRecall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier declared that there would not be provision for incidence form as an alternative to allow electorate exercise their franchise if card reader fails.
Eleka, in his reaction, expressed worry over the incidence, calling for immediate action to rectify the error for him to cast his vote.
“I cannot say that I do not have confidence in the electoral process, but I am worried, and I do not really understand what is really happening Victory in their favour today.
Ritaaduba.com reviews how political gladiators in the state have been deploying energy and resources to boost the chances of their parties in the election. Arguably, the two leading political parties in the contest are the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state and the Federal Government-led All Progressives Congress.
The tenure of Governor Ayodele Fayose comes to an end on October 15, 2018 having taken the oath of office on October 16, 2014. Fayose in the June 21, 2014 governorship election had defeated the then sitting governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who ran on the platform of the APC.
Fayose is in his second term having first taken oath of office in 2003 when he governed till 2006 before his impeachment. He is hoping to hand over to his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola. Olusola emerged as the PDP candidate at a primary election conducted on May 8, 2018 and he is contesting against Fayemi, who defeated 32 other aspirants to emerge as the APC candidate at a keenly contested primary held on May 12, 2018.
Will Fayose succeed in installing a successor, a feat no outgoing governor had achieved since Ekiti became a state in 1996 and produced a civilian governor in 1999?
Will Fayemi, on the other hand, stop Fayose from achieving the record by staging his own comeback to power? It must be stated that the APC and PDP have more reach, presence, structures, resources, manpower and It must be stated that the APC and PDP have more reach, presence, structures, resources, manpower and members in all the 16 local government areas of the state than other political parties. But would this count in the election?
Ekiti State is divided into three senatorial districts: Ekiti North, Ekiti Central and Ekiti South with16 local government areas.
Ekiti North and Ekiti Central have five local government areas each while Ekiti South has six local government areas.
The local government areas in Ekiti North are Moba (11 wards); Ido/Osi, (11 wards); Ilejemeje (10 wards); Oye (12 wards); and Ikole (12 wards).
In Ekiti Central, there are Ado (13 wards;, Irepodun/Ifelodun (11 wards); Ekiti West (11 wards); Ijero (12 wards); and Efon (10 wards).
Ekiti South is made up of Ekiti South West (11 wards); Ikere (11 wards); Ise/Orun (10 wards); Emure (10 wards); Gbonyin (10 wards); and Ekiti East (12 wards).
Votes are up for grabs in 177 wards and 2,195 polling units. Total number of registered voters in the state is 913,334. But, according to INEC, only 630,000 have collected their Permanent Voter Cards.
However, it must be noted that the projections below are subject to changes in the dynamics of politics as the game is highly unpredictable.
In Ado Local Government Area, it will be a battle between the two running mates of both parties: the 74-year old former Local Government Chairman, Adebisi Egbeyemi, of the APC and the 39-year-old Kazeem Ogunsakin of the PDP, who is the immediate past chairman of the council.
Some prominent persons in the local government that are with the PDP include Mr. Clement Bamisile; House of Assembly member representing Ado 1, Mr. Musa Arogundade; Assembly member representing Ado 2, Mr. Tope Fasanmi; State Universal Basic Education Board Chairman, Senator Bode Ola; and two former council chairmen, Mrs. Tosin Ajisafe-Aluko and Mr. Taye Fasuba.
For the APC, there are a former deputy governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; former National Assembly member, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; former commissioner, Alhaji Ayodele Jinadu; oil magnate, Chief Remi Oguntuase; former presidential aide, Mr. Bodunde Adeyanju, and a former President of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Chief Oluyemi Esan, among others.
