The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has won all 16 local government areas in Ekiti in Saturday’s Presidential Election. The results of the election announced at the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday showed the opposition All Progressive Congress coming a respectable second.
Though it lost in every local government area, LGA, it put up a better showing than it did nine months ago during the state gubernatorial election in terms of the percentage of the total votes it got. The APC trailed the PDP with 56,134 votes in the presidential election.
Following the frontal and often controversial role played by the Governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose, in the campaign for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan, Ekiti State was listed among the potential flashpoints in the election. However, the election was generally peaceful across the state as voters went about exercising their civil responsibility with minimal intimidation or violence.
In contrast to the lull in the town on the eve of the election, turnout for the poll was impressive. Election materials arrived polling units on time and there were minimal cases of card reader failure.
Speaking on the conduct of the election, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sam Olumekun, said he was impressed with the conduct of the election in the state.
“The election has been wonderful in Ekiti State and everything went smoothly,” he said.
The major violent clash in the state occurred at Ikere-Ekiti where one Jide was shot in the back allegedly by thugs led by the state Deputy Governor, Olubunmi Olusola – Eleka. But the PDP denied that it has anything to do with the incident. Spokesperson to the governor of the state, Lere Olayinka, said it was the deputy governor who was attacked by alleged APC thugs. The collation officer of Ikere said the incident happened before the election commenced.
“No report of any incident and the celebrated incident in Ikere happened before the election commenced,” he said while announcing the resulting from the LGA.
When PREMIUM TIMES arrived the town later on Saturday afternoon, voters behaved orderly and there were no cases of confrontation or fracas. The PDP polled 14,091 votes from the local government as opposed to 7,990 polled by the APC.
There was also report of clashes in Gboyin LGA where five polling units were vandalized. In Ayesogba, voting was not conclusive. Voters were attacked midway into voting and the election in the area was suspended.
In Moba LGA, hoodlums attacked voters with guns, cutlasses and other weapons at a ward in Osan, the Collation Officer of the area said. Irregularities were also reported in Oye LGA. The collating officer said there was over voting in Unit 11 Ward 11. The number of voters accredited was 209 but 403 votes were recorded. The result of the unit was subsequently cancelled. Unit 2 and 6 Obadare in Ekiti East LGA were cancelled for over voting.
The original result sheet sent from Ijero was not submitted at the collating centre. The Collating Officer and other INEC adhoc staff claimed they managed to escape with the duplicate copies after their lives were threatened. The collating officer said he was almost stabbed and shot by hoodlums who attacked him at the collating centre after trouble started when copies of the final result sheet were insufficient to go round among the security agencies and party agents. However, agents of the PDP and APC said there was no fight between them and the election went well peacefully in the local government. They said party agents only argued among themselves following demands for additional result sheets.
When asked what will happen to the result of Ijero following the inability of the Collating Officer to present the original result sheet, Mr Olujimi said the matter is being looked into.
“We have guidelines and specific rules that govern the conduct of election. Very few places were affected by the fracas. The original copy is being retrieved,” he said.
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