By Ayomide Otitoju
Voting is ongoing across Osun State as residents cast their ballots in the governorship election being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the state’s 30 local government areas.
With 2.3 million registered voters and 15 candidates contesting the election, the exercise has been marked by reports of BVAS difficulties, allegations of vote-buying and violence at a polling unit in Ejigbo Local Government Area.
At about 12:19 p.m., violence reportedly broke out at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, in Ejigbo after a youth allegedly discovered materials suspected to be connected to vote-buying and linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The youth reportedly said he and others seized the materials because they could not stand by while an alleged illegal activity took place. However, individuals said to be connected to the materials later arrived at the polling area and allegedly attempted to take him away.
Voting had reportedly been disrupted at the polling unit from about 12:02 p.m., forcing voters, residents and INEC officials to flee for safety.
Earlier, some voters in Ejigbo had raised concerns over alleged vote-buying by a political party in the area. The development came amid complaints about BVAS at Polling Unit 13, where a voter reportedly said the system failed to recognise her.
An elderly voter at the unit said at about 10:01 a.m. that she would remain at the polling station until she was able to cast her ballot despite the accreditation difficulty.
Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, raised allegations of intimidation and interference by security personnel.
Adeleke, who voted at Abogunde Comprehensive 009, Ward 02, Abogunde Sagba, Ede North, at about 9:10 a.m., called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
He alleged that a police officer deployed from Port Harcourt, known by the nickname “London”, was in Ede to disrupt the election. The claims have not been independently verified.
The governor also alleged that police personnel were tear-gassing voters in some areas and accused the APC of attempting to influence the election.
The ADC governorship candidate, Najeem Salaam, also raised concerns over the alleged denial of accreditation tags to some of his party’s agents.
Salaam said the agents’ names had been uploaded as required but claimed that some were repeatedly denied accreditation.
“If at the end of the day we do not have this, then the process is very questionable,” he said, while also denying involvement in vote-buying.
In contrast, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji commended INEC and security personnel for their handling of the election and described the process at his polling unit in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, as peaceful.
Oyebamiji, who voted alongside his wife, Sekinat, urged residents to remain calm and conduct themselves peacefully as voting and the collation of results continue.
At about 10:48 a.m., voters at Unit 1, Alajue, Bode Street, Ede South, were seen in a long queue, with complaints that the BVAS device was slow. The unit has 869 registered voters.
International election observers were also sighted at Polling Unit 001, Ward 04, Alajue, Ede South, at about 11 a.m.
Voting was also ongoing in Ijebu Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area, and Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area, although slight delays in accreditation were reported due to BVAS difficulties.
The Commissioner of Police, Erale Samuel Etaifo, said about 100 people from neighbouring Ondo and Ekiti states were in custody over alleged plans to disrupt the election.
However, he said no arrests had been made on Saturday in connection with electoral violence.
Earlier in the morning, voting materials and polling infrastructure were deployed across several locations. At Sabo Agbongbe II, Ward 7, Polling Units 001 and 011 in Ede Local Government Area, voting cubicles and other materials were ready by about 7:50 a.m.
Voters had also gathered at polling units in Egbedore, Osogbo and other parts of the state ahead of the commencement of accreditation.
INEC said distribution of election materials for the Osun governorship election began across the state from about 7:00 a.m.
