The local government election in Ondo State was on Saturday marred with low turnout of electorates.
This will be the first time in eight years that an election would be conducted for democratic elected chairmen and councilors at the local level in the state.
Two prominent political parties, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, had distanced themselves from the election.
They hinged their reasons on the ground that the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) led by Prof. Olugbenga Ige would not conduct a free and fair poll.
However, apart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 18 other political parties such Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) among others, participated in the poll.
DAILY POST correspondent, who monitored the poll in the Central and southern senatorial districts of the state, observed that residents preferred to attend to some of their domestic works than going into their polling units to cast their votes.
In Akure, which is the state capital, many people were seen cleaning their environment and washing clothes as if it was an “environmental day”.
At Olumekun Unit 5, Idepe community in Okitipupa local government, the electorates vowed not to cast their votes for any of the political parties.
They were aggrieved because for the past three years, the community and other local governments in the southern district had been in total darkness.
In Igbotako community in Okitipupa, some ODSIEC Ad hoc staff were seen relaxing as electorates refused to come out to votes.
It was also observed that in the accreditation exercise, which started as early as 7 a:m, only 19 out of 922 registered voters came for accreditation at unit 2, Ireje ward in Ondo East local government.
Similar thing was observed at Elemosho Open space unit in the same local government as only 36 out of 472 were accredited for the poll.
Only PDP agents were seen in all the polling units visited by our correspondent.
A lawmaker, representing Okitipupa/Irele federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Mike Omogbehin blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the poor turnout.
Omogbehin, who spoke with reporters at his unit in Igbotako community, Okitipupa, said the poll was not keenly contested as there were no major political parties contesting with the PDP.
According to him, “We as a party has done our best by sensitizing people to come out to vote but you will understand that when you are involve in a contest, and your opposition abscond, it is most likely that people may take such election unserious.
“This may not be far away from the fact that APC ran away. APC had come out with a lot of intrigues. First, they said they are not going to participate; secondly they attempted to stop the election. When people are allowed to witness such political drama, it is capable of dampening the morale of the electorate.
“Whatever shortcoming you might have found in the election is because APC has decided to run away. If they had participated, more electorates would have come out.”
Senator Yele Omogunwa, representing the southern district at the National Assembly, commended the security agencies and the ODIEC, saying they had performed credibly well.
Omogunwa, who spoke with reporters at his polling unit in Irele local government said the poll would prepare the PDP towards the November 26, governorship election in the state.
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