…as INEC officers fail to arrive polling booths on time
…Card readers failed at Amosun’s ward.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lost his polling unit to the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, President Muhammad Buhari, in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Obasanjo, who cast his vote at Ward 11, Unit 22 in Ita-Iyalode area of Totoro, Abeokuta North Local Government, failed to deliver his polling unit to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The result counted by the INEC’s Presiding Officer at Ward 11, Unit 22, showed how Buhari scored 87 to defeat Atiku, who polled 18, while the African Democratic Congress scored 04 and 01 votes.
It would be recalled that the former president had lost at his ward in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 except for the year 2015 when he came out to campaign for Buhari .
Also in 2011, Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, representing Ogun Central Senatorial district on the platform of the PDP, failed to deliver at their polling booth in Abeokuta.
Earlier the Independent Electoral Commission on Saturday delayed the arrival of electoral materials at Ward 11, unit 22, the polling booths of Obasanjo, forcing him to stay behind with other voters stranded and unable to cast their votes on time.
INEC officials were expected to have arrived the polling unit of Obasanjo at Olusomi Compound in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogunstate as at 7am, but the officials did not show up at the station until 10:15am, due to some hiccups in the election materials distribution.
The development however forced the former president to stay behind at home as voters were seen hanging and roaming about the polling unit awaiting the arrival of INEC officers with the electoral materials.
When contacted, the Media Aide to Obasanjo, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, said the former president was already prepared to cast his vote but had to stay back due to the lateness of INEC officers to arrive at the polling with the electoral materials.
Akinyemi said, “The former President is at his house and would cast his vote as soon as the INEC officials arrive.”
Meanwhile, the electoral materials later arrived at the polling unit at 10:15am and Obasanjo who later voted at about 11:05am expressed confidence that “INEC will make amends for the shortcomings ahead of the next election.”
Obasanjo while lamenting the delay in the arrival of the electoral materials, also said that the INEC officers had a bit difficulty in sorting his thumb print before he could cast his vote.
He therefore described the election as a competition that must not be a do or die affairs, saying the winner should show magnanimity and the loser should bow down graciously.
In related development, the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, while casting his vote at Ward 2 , Unit 6, Itagbangba Itoko in Abeokuta South local government however said the”card readers failed and took some time ” before it started to function, noting that the conduct of the election was peaceful.
Amosun said ” I know there’s room for improvement for everything. Yes, the card reader took some time. In some instances, card reader fails, I think it’s a process and I believe we’ll overcome it. By and large, we can say the elections is going on well and peaceful.”
A member of the House of Representatives, representing Remo Federal Constituency, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, while casting his vote at Wesley Nursery and Primary School at Ward 5, Unit 4, Iperu in Ikenne local government area of the state, said that the conduct of election at his polling unit was peaceful.
While casting his vote at Its- Osanyin, Ward 3, Unit 2, in Iperu in Ikenne local government area of the state, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prince Dapo Abiodun, said that the conduct of the election was peaceful and impressive.
He said, “The election is going peacefully and the turnout is phenomenal. People really came out to exercise their civic responsibilities I hope what we have seen here will be the same at other polling units.”