Ondo Decides: Election largely peaceful, voters say, as results trickle in

 

THE Governorship election in Ondo State took place peacefully as the electorate trooped out to cast their ballot without fear of molestation.

High presence of security personnel was also able to curtail early attempt to disrupt the poll in most parts of the state.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade, debunked the alleged violence at Owo Area of Ondo State, describing it as fake news.

A video had indicated that three people were killed while the wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, was injured in a fracas early Saturday. 

The DIG said, so far, the report reaching  him had indicated that the election was peaceful and that people were happy with the conduct.

Many voters who spoke with The Point were largely happy with the conduct of the election, saying it was not as tough as people had thought.

Oyebade, who visited the Independent National Electoral Commission office where he assessed the level of security put in place before collation began, urged the security personnel to tighten security around the INEC and ensure the safety of everyone, including results as they begin to come.

The police chief, who also visited most voting centres in Akure, the state capital, commended the way and manner in which the people had conducted themselves.

While saying some persons had been arrested for some skirmishes in some parts of the state, he hinted that they would be thoroughly investigated and face prosecution. 

Oyebade, who was impressed with the performance of policemen deployed to keep surveillance in most polling units across the state, said the police had earlier committed to ensuring free, fair and credible election in the state.

Speaking with reporters after visiting INEC head office, Oyebade hinted that his visit was to ensure that everything was going smoothly. 

Also speaking on the election, DIG Celestial Okoye said the collation would be fast because the Police Airwing would use helicopters to bring result sheets to Akure INEC office from riverine areas to ensure prompt release of results.