.Election relatively peaceful despite isolated incidents, BVAS glitches
.APC alleges ballot box snatching, accuses Accord supporters

 

There were strong indications on Saturday night that the incumbent governor and Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, had taken an early lead in the Osun State governorship election.
Adeleke was reported to have secured substantial support in his Ede political stronghold, as well as in Ile-Ife, Osogbo and Iwo, some of the state’s major population centres that have historically played significant roles in determining the outcome of governorship elections.

The emerging figures, however, remained unofficial and subject to verification and declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as sorting, counting and collation continued across the state. Reports indicated that more than 65 per cent of results had been uploaded to the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) by the afternoon.

Adeleke also won his polling unit in Ede North Local Government Area, securing 421 votes at Ward 02, Polling Unit 009, Abogunde Compound.
Findings from results uploaded to IReV further suggested that the governor was ahead in parts of Irepodun, Ilobu, Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Ede and Ikire, although the figures could change as more results are uploaded and officially collated.
The development is significant because Osogbo, which has the largest electorate among the state’s local government areas, remains a major battleground in the contest.

Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters spread across 30 local government areas, 332 wards and 3,763 polling units, with 1,906,391 Permanent Voter Cards collected.
Despite concerns that preceded the election, the exercise was generally peaceful across most parts of the state, with voters turning out to cast their ballots and security personnel maintaining a visible presence at several polling locations.

However, there were isolated incidents in some areas. In Ejigbo, voting was reportedly disrupted following an attack involving suspected political thugs, while the ADC governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam, was reportedly attacked shortly after casting his vote. Voting was temporarily suspended in the affected area.
There were also reports of tension at a Registration Area Centre in Modakeke, Ife East, where voters, INEC officials and party agents were seen fleeing following an incident that disrupted the electoral process.

 

The deployment of technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), was largely successful, although minor glitches were reported in parts of Ile-Ife and Osogbo.
The technical hitches, according to observations from some polling locations, were largely resolved without significantly disrupting the exercise, allowing accreditation and voting to proceed in most areas.

Some residents who spoke with The Guardian commended INEC and security agencies for what they described as an improvement in the conduct of the poll, particularly the relatively orderly atmosphere at several polling units.
There were also comparatively fewer reports of open vote-buying in several locations visited, although allegations of inducement and other forms of electoral malpractice were reported in isolated areas.

The early trend in favour of Adeleke, if sustained during collation, could give the incumbent an advantage in his bid for another term. However, with a substantial number of votes still being collated, the race remains open until INEC completes the process and formally declares a winner.
The contest is principally between Adeleke of Accord, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, with other candidates also participating in the election.

As of press time, the outcome remained unofficial, with party agents, observers and voters awaiting completion of collation at ward, local government and state levels.
Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of the APC condemned the alleged snatching of a ballot box during the governorship election at the Gulf Unit of Ward 5 in Osogbo, accusing supporters of the Accord Party of carrying out the act.

In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the party alleged that political thugs arrived at the polling unit on motorcycles, armed with guns, while voting was ongoing.
According to the statement, the alleged attackers shot into the air to disperse voters before snatching a ballot box containing already thumb-printed ballot papers.

The party said further investigation showed that voters scampered in different directions for safety while the alleged perpetrators carried out the operation.
The statement read: “We vehemently condemn the snatching of the ballot box by the Accord Party hoodlums, which was an anti-democratic development carried out to deny the electorate their fundamental right to exercise their civic responsibility of voting for the candidate of their choice.

 

“We urge INEC to take political and administrative notice of the sad development, which is antithetical to democratic culture in all climes.

“We are enjoining the police to swing into action with a view to arresting and prosecuting the Accord Party hoodlums who might have been responsible for this dastardly act, which is tarnishing the image of the nation.”
The allegations could not be independently verified as of press time, while the election authorities were yet to make a formal statement on the incident.