Governor Biodun Oyebanji has expressed excitement about the large voter turnout across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State during the governorship election. He noted that based on field reports, the election has been largely peaceful and orderly without any hitches.
Oyebanji Commends INEC and Security Agencies
The governor expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies. He voted around 11:30 am at his Okelele Ward 6 Unit 3 in Ekiti West Local Government Area and urged the people to be patient with INEC.
“The report across the state has been positive. The election is going on smoothly, people are exercising their franchise, they are happy, the turnout is impressive and I’m glad that people are listening to my call that they must come out and exercise their franchise,” Oyebanji said.
“This is because there’s a link between what is happening today and their future. So far, so good, everything’s been going smoothly, but I need to also appeal to our people to be patient with INEC. You know with all processes there will be glitches and they have assured me and I believe them that all those glitches will be attended to. So I just appeal to our people to exercise caution. They (INEC) have told me that nobody will be disenfranchised.”
Response to Allegations of Intimidation
When asked about the complaint of intimidation by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oyebanji described it as an allegation. “He who alleges must prove, so it’s in the realm of an allegation,” he stated.
Confidence in 500,000 Votes Benchmark
Speaking on the 500,000 votes benchmark set by his party, the governor expressed confidence. “We are going to get that. We should, if the processes work well, and everybody votes, we should cross that mark,” Oyebanji said.
