Oyo LG Polls: Oluyole LG records low voters’ turnout, peaceful
The local government election which was held in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Saturday, recorded a low turnout of voters, but peaceful, the PUNCH reports
The election was held across the geo-political zones of the state and was conducted by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC).
Response of voters to the election, gauged by the Punch, at Polling Unit 1, Abbey Technical, Idiroko/ Ikereku, Oluyole LG Ward 2, showed a yawning gap between the number of voters registered for the election and the actual votes cast.
According to the Presiding Officer at the polling unit, Mr Paul Jegede Damilare, the registered voters at the unit were 1,943 while 166 voters cast their votes during the election.
Also, the Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 5, Oluyole LG Ward 2, Idi-Iroko/Ikereku, Open Space Garri Processing, Mr Bamidele Akinkunmi, told the Punch that 991 eligible voters registered at the unit, while 55 votes were cast for both Chairmanship and Councillorship as at 1:32 p.m.
At Polling Unit 33, Oluyole LG Ward 2, Idi-Iroko/Ikereku, the Presiding Officer at the unit, spoke to the Punch under anonymity that of the 307 registered voters at the unit, only 10 votes were cast for both Chairmanship and Councillorship at about past 1:00 pm.
The Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 6, Revenue Collecting Centre 1, Orita, Idi-Iroko/Ikereku, Oluyole LG Ward 2, Mrs Adenike Grace, told the Punch that of the 750 voters registered, 62 had cast their votes for the Chairmanship and Councillorship election as at 1:59 p.m.
The story was not different at Polling Unit 3, Babalola, Orita, Idi-Iroko/Ikereku, Oluyole LG Ward 2 where the Presiding Officer, Mrs Idowu Mojilade, explained to the Punch that more of the aged and middle-aged cast their votes in the election far more than the youth within the age bracket of 35 years and above.
Mojilade told the Punch that of the 750 registered voters, a little over100 voters had cast their votes as at the time this correspondent visited the polling unit.Related News
A Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 39, Bola Immaculate, Idi-Iroko/ Ikereku, Oluyole LG Ward 2, who preferred anonymity, said while 161 voters registered at the unit, only 2 votes were cast for both the Chairmanship and Councillorship election.
The turnout of voters at Polling Unit 027, Iyana Cele Soderu, Idi-Iroko/ Ikereku, Oluyole LG Ward 2, was equally poor. The Punch gathered from the Presiding Officer that 473 voters registered at the unit, but just 16 votes were recorded at the unit barely an hour before 3:p.m when the exercise was expected to end.
The turnout of voters monitored by the Punch at Polling Unit 34, Exit of Adelabu Shopping Complex, South-East LG Ward 12, paints a seemingly lukewarm attitude of eligible voters concerning the local government election.
The Presiding Officer at the polling unit, Mrs Raheem Omolara revealed to the PUNCH that 160 voters registered at the unit, but fewer than 10 voters had cast their votes as of 1:13 p.m.
A Presiding Officer at the unit, Mr Adediran Toyin who spoke to the Punch on the low turnout of voters, said: “People didn’t show interest in the election because they believe it’s just a mere formality.”
A voter who did not want her name mentioned in print said the poor turnout of voters for the election may not be due to the economic hardship in the country.
However, the election was generally peaceful in all the polling units monitored by the Punch, as security was beefed up by security agencies to forestall any breakdown of law and order that could truncate the local council polls.
Meanwhile, winners in the election are yet to be declared as of press time as the results of the election are still being collated.
