Ondo Gov Updates : Mimiko Still Leading As Counting Goes On
Results
of some polling units announced so far by the Independent National
Electoral Commission have shown that the Labour Party candidate, Dr.
Olusegun Mimiko, is leading.
Mimiko polled 348 votes at his Ondo Ward 7 Unit 20, while the PDP and the ACN scored 18 and 16 respectively.
Voters across Ondo trooped to the streets after Mimiko’s victory in his ward.
The
Action Congress of Nigeria, candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, who had
earlier boasted that he would trounce Mimiko, lost his polling unit and
ward to the governor.
Akeredolu scored 139 in his Ward 5 Unit 6 in Owo, while Mimiko scored 144 votes, just as the PDP polled 35.
The
results of the votes cast in the Ilaje Local Government Area where the
PDP candidate, Olusola Oke, hails from, were still being expected as of
the time of filing this report.
However,
our correspondent learnt that the LP had won five out of the 10 wards
in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area, believed to be the stronghold of
the PDP.
It
was also gathered that the PDP lost at the Special Adviser to the
President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku’s polling unit, RCM Unit 2,
Arogbo Ward1. The result showed that the LP polled 97; PDP, 85; and ACN
16.
At
Adumasi House, Unit 04, Ilepa Ward II, Ikare, Akoko North-East Local
Goverment Area, ACN had 82 votes with the LP polling 100 and PDP, 60.
At Ode-Olofin Unit 4, Edo Ward (Ikare), LP polled 113 votes to beat ACN, which had 84 and PDP 43.
At Ilepa Unit 1, Akoko North-East, Lokoja Garage, Ikare, ACN had 25votes, LP, 45; and PDP 73.
There
was jubilation in Akure, Ondo and Owo towns when news filtered in that
the LP was leading in the results announced at the various polling
units in the state.
However,
ACN, won in Senator Ajayi Boroffice Ondo-North senatorial zone unit.
Boroffice was the former governorship aspirant of ACN.
ACN
led in Unit 10 Ward 5, Oka, Akoko South-West Local Government Area. The
ACN polled 109 votes against 82 votes LP scored, while the PDP got 43
votes.
There were altercations between loyalists of LP and the ACN in some parts of Oka, Ikare and Akungba over the election results.
Some of the ACN members had accused the ruling LP of engaging in ballot stuffing in some areas.
Despite initial fears of voter apathy, there was a high turnout of voters in most parts of the state.
In
Ondo-North Senatorial District of the state, voters trooped out to
polling centres amidst tight security by the joint patrol team
comprising army, police, civil defence and men of the State Security
Service.
As early as 6am, security agents were seen patrolling all major roads in the district.
Stern-looking security men mounted roadblocks and stopped vehicles from Okene, Benin and Abuja at the Ondo State borders.
Helicopters
of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Air Force kept the state
under surveillance during the period of voting.
In
Oka, Ikare, Arigidi, Akungba and other communities in the Ondo-North
Senatorial District, voters were at polling centres as early as 6:30am.
By 7am, electoral officers were at the polling stations awaiting materials from INEC officials.
Accreditation
began in some of the units at exactly 8am while it was delayed in
others areas till about 9a.m, as a result of logistics.
In
Unit 8, Ward 6, Ayegunle via Oka-Akoko, voters were already being
accredited as of 8am, with agents of the PDP, LP and ACN present.
At
Unit O4 Ward II, palace ward, CAC and others in Ikare, young and
elderly men, women and youths jostled for accreditation and voting.
The
Supervisory Presiding Officer in Ikare, Mr. Oladele Adebisi, expressed
deep concern that some of the presiding officers recruited for the
exercise did not turn up.
He
said, “We are happy that the people are complying, and we are working
hard to meet up with time and finish with accreditation on schedule.
“The
only challenge we have is shortage of hands in some units. So now I am
looking for more hands for units where there are more people.
“There
is supposed to be an Assistant Polling Officer with one APO I and II,
two each in each unit. But some of those billed to work are not
available.”
The Ofua of Ikareland, Chief Alfred Omotola, described the turnout of voters as impressive.
He
said, “We are peace-loving people. We are orderly here. There is no
problem at all. I have come here to do my accreditation, and I have been
accredited.
“No one will be forced to vote for a party when voting begins. Everyone will vote for a party of his or her choice.”
In some polling units, security agents were seen screening voters before being allowed to queue up for voting.
In
Unit 10, Ward 5, where Boroffice registered, two regular policewomen
were on ground, but the senator complained about inadequate security
personnel in his unit.
He
expressed fears of possible disruption of the exercise as some unnamed
persons had earlier threatened to disrupt the exercise.
However,
he said a detachment of soldiers on guard about 500 meters away from
the booth had assured the people of adequate security of their votes.
In Ugbo, stern-looking and heavily armed soldiers appeared to be in a show of power with the police.
A police detachment was refused passage by armed soldiers, who barred motorists from moving before 5pm.
Entreaties
by the leader of the police detachment to the soldiers fell on deaf
ears as the soldiers only allowed journalists passage after proper
identification.
The police detachment had to stay in the queue like civilians while bemused members of the public watched the scene.
Police siren-blaring vehicles were warned by soldiers at checkpoints.
Some residents, who defied the movement restriction order, were made to jump along the road by the soldiers.
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