Residents of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, turned out in large numbers on Saturday morning to participate in the ongoing governorship election, demonstrating strong interest in the electoral process despite an initial technical setback.
According to The PUNCH, at Ward 4, Units 1 and 2 located at St. Michael Primary School, Ijigbo, voters arrived early and assembled at the polling units ahead of the official commencement of voting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Among those present were elderly residents eager to exercise their civic rights.
However, the voting process experienced a brief delay after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System deployed to the polling units failed to function upon arrival of election officials.
The issue was later resolved, allowing accreditation and voting to begin.
The first ballot at Unit 2 was cast at approximately 8:49 a.m.
Speaking on the development, the Presiding Officer, Mutiat Aliyu, confirmed that the BVAS initially malfunctioned but was subsequently restored and became operational.
The election is being contested by candidates from several political parties, including incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress, among others.
Other candidates in the race include Opeyemi Falegan (Accord Party), Oyebanji Olajuyin (Labour Party), Blessing Abegunde (NNPP), Bidemi Awogbemi (APP), Ayodeji Ojo (ADP), Samuel Akande (AAC), Olaniyi Ayodele (PRP), Victor Adetunji (Zenith Labour Party), Olu Omotoso (Action Alliance), Joseph Anifowose (Allied Peoples Movement), and Ayodele Osinkolu (Young Progressive Party).
Political observers are monitoring the election closely, viewing it as a significant indicator of voter sentiment and political dynamics in Ekiti State.
