MIMIKO COMMENDS ONDO PEOPLE FOR HIGH TURN-OUT
Ondo state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has commended the impressive turn-out of the people of the State at yesterday’s poll just as he expressed displeasure over the use of the Smart card reader which he said disappointed a lot of people. The smart card reader also disappointed the state Deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi and […]
Ondo state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has commended the impressive turn-out of the people of the State at yesterday’s poll just as he expressed displeasure over the use of the Smart card reader which he said disappointed a lot of people.
The smart card reader also disappointed the state Deputy governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi and many voters in Akoko South and North senatorial district of the state in the ongoing general elections.
When Daily Trust went round the state yesterday to monitor the election the turnout for the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives Elections were impressive and encouraging in the north senatorial district of Ondo State though it was initially marred by some technical malfunctioning in some voting units.
There was tight security round the state and the election was peacefully conducted,
Men of the Nigerian security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC and Federal Road Safety Corps were deployed to each polling unit as at the time of filing this report and there was no military presence at the voting centres but strictly on the road to enforce the no movement law.
Earlier Governor Mimiko and his wife had reported at Ward 7 , unit 20, Yaba road Ondo and later voted at the same venue where he addressed journalist.
Also in Supare , Akoko where the just defected Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi went for verification exercise at unit 8, Ebure Ayedara ward 11 in Supare ,Akoko, Akoko south west local government area, his card read verification failed,
Although THE Deputy Governors name could be found on the list he was later asked to wait to see whether the problem could be rectified.
Also in Oba Akoko in Akoko South West local government, Centre EC 30B, accreditation started by 8:27am, but a bit delayed in Ward 6, Unit 8, where people were still waiting for the electoral officers, who arrived around 8:43am to commence the exercise.The before the arrival of INEC officials
In some places, there were shortcomings in the use of the Smart Card Readers (SCRs): it failed to verify some voters’s finger prints for accreditation and very slow verification in Ebure Ayedara Ward 11, Unit 8, Ayepe Ward 1Agbadotun Quarters Unit 1.
The Deputy Governor of finger print for verification was rejected by the machine but was accredited manually.
Olanusi expressed satisfaction in the conduct of the exercise and hoped that the commission would not renege on its promises to Nigerians to conduct free and fair elections.
Speaking with journalists on his recent defection to the opposition party, he said: “It is very unfortunate. Unfortunate in the sense that, the way the leaders of the party has messed up the party they met,” accusing the national chairman of PDP and the National Central Working Committee of corruption.
However, the technical units of INEC sprang into action and promptly responded to the distress call to resolve the faults in the machine in places like Iwaro Oka, Ward 8, Oka-Odo Unit 3. Mrs Ologunleko Christianah, a voter in the unit told journalists they waited in the sun till 11: 32am.
Also, the turnout of voters for elections in Akoko North East Local Government in Ikare was highly impressive. In the district, the security operatives were at alert.
During the accreditation, the card readers started malfunctioning around 8:47am in Edo Ward 1, Unit 10 and Unit 4; and the voters could not be accredited till the technical officer and administrative officer 2 of INEC, Mrs Adegbaso Kemi was called upon to resolve the issue.
“The card readers were initially mis-configured but they are now functioning well, we are ground to respond to any similar hitch,” Adegbaso said.
While in some places like it happened in Iworin III Ward 5, Unit 15, Akoko South West local government, the people confirmed that the exercise went on smoothly.
As at the time of filling this report, voters were still awaiting the results at the voting centers.