Party agents and electorate on Saturday commended the early arrival of ad hoc staff for the Osun governorship election, describing their prompt deployment as a positive development that enhanced preparations considerably.
Some party agents and voters who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilesa said the early arrival was a plus for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At Ward 8, Unit 7, voting commenced at exactly 8:30 a.m., with a large number of voters already gathered at the polling unit and ready to participate peacefully in the exercise.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) party agent, Moruf Ajayi, commended INEC for the timely arrival of its staff, saying their presence contributed significantly to the prompt commencement of voting activities.
Ajayi said the early arrival of the staff contributed to the timely commencement of voting, adding that their presence enabled the process to begin without unnecessary delays at the unit there.
An electorate, Oladimeji Ajibola, also commended INEC for the timely arrival of voting materials and ad hoc staff, describing the development as encouraging for voters across the area.
Ajibola commended the peaceful commencement of the election and urged the electorate to maintain peace, stressing that orderly conduct would help ensure credible voting throughout the exercise for all participants present.
However, at Ward 8, Unit 10, voting was delayed because tables and chairs were unavailable for displaying voting materials, creating a logistical challenge before the exercise could begin at the unit.
The INEC Presiding Officer, Elizabeth Adaramaja, said voting was delayed because tables and chairs were unavailable, preventing staff from properly arranging and displaying election materials for voters at the unit.
Adaramaja said she and her team had been at the polling unit since 6:45 a.m., but there was nowhere to sit or display the election materials properly before voting officially.
She said the party agents who were expected to provide the needed materials were not forthcoming, leaving the polling team without basic facilities required to commence voting as scheduled.
One of the party agents at the polling unit, Grace Samson, said she and other agents were looking for ways to resolve the issue to enable voting to begin promptly there.
Samson said although the INEC staff arrived very early, voting was delayed by the non-availability of tables and chairs, in spite of efforts by agents to address the problem before voting started.
Another party agent, Rachael Ajayi, said they were making efforts to resolve the issue to enable voting to commence, adding that the situation required urgent attention from all stakeholders immediately.
Ajayi also commended the early arrival of the ad hoc staff, saying their prompt presence demonstrated readiness by electoral officials and helped create confidence among voters at the polling unit.
An electorate at the polling unit, Kikelomo Adeyeye, said the blame should not be placed on INEC but on party leaders expected to provide tables and chairs for ad hoc staff.
Adeyeye said the ad hoc staff arrived early, but voting was delayed by the logistical challenge, urging stakeholders to provide necessary facilities promptly so voters could cast their ballots without delays.
Meanwhile, voter turnout for the governorship election was impressive at Kanmi Bus Stop, Ilode Ward 1, Unit 009.
INEC officials arrived early, while security operatives and party agents were also present, while no observers were seen.
Voters were checking their names as preparations for voting continued at the polling unit peacefully.
At Ire-Akari Primary School, Kosere, Ilode II, Ward III, Unit 008, INEC materials had arrived by 7:55 a.m., but no observers or security operatives were present yet at the unit.
Party agents were present at the polling unit, helping to monitor proceedings while voters waited for the exercise to commence at the station peacefully.
At Government Technical College, Ile-Ife, Ward 1, Unit 001, police and NSCDC officers were on ground, while voter turnout was high and INEC officials arrived at 6:00 a.m.
The officials said all election materials were complete and that backup Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were available in case of any problems.
Also, the Accord Party Deputy Governorship candidate, Prince Kola Adewusi, voted at 9:10 a.m. at Akodi-Seru, Ilode 1, Ward 001, Enuwa Area, Ile-Ife.
Adewusi commended INEC for arriving on time and also lauded the electorate for the large turnout recorded at the polling unit.
He said the election was proceeding peacefully, expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise and urging voters to maintain peace throughout the electoral process across the area.(NAN
