Former governor of Ogun state and chieftain of All
Progressives Congress, Chief Olusegun Osoba has said that the people of the state should hold the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu responsible for any breakdown of laws and orders during the general elections in the state.
The Elder statesman said he lost confidence in the state commissioner of police because he has compromised the ethics and standard of police by watching the the President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed forces of the Nigerian nation and his Vice pelted with water bottles, stone.
Osoba said, ” if the President of the country could be so treated with disdain and disrespect then, Iliyasu is not fit to be charged with the lives of the people of the state.
He has exhibited a huge degree of incompetence in the discharge of his responsibilities, and indifference to the safety of the lives and properties of mass of the people of the state to whom he is responsible as a commissioner of police.
I can say unequivocally that Iliyasu has failed woefully and has sold out as he is now being manipulated by some elements to whom he believes he is now answerable to not minding whatever happens to the wellbeing of the people generality of the people.
Chief Osoba said it was a crying shame that the Commissioner of Police has been transfered out of Ogun but he refused to go and resume at his new place of deployment and the police authority could not do anything to him. Surprisingly, instead of impressing or forcing him out of Ogun state, they have continued to treat him with kid glove. “This is unfortunate”, Osoba stressed.
Chief Osoba, as at the early hours of the day when he went to cast his vote at ward 6 Unit 15 Ibara Housing Estate described the elections as free and fair, but stated it was too early to conclude that all was well because according to him voting had not ended and votes were yet to be counted.
The Governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun who voted at Ward 6, Ita Gbangba, Emere, Itoko, Unit, 2 without any pomp and pageantry. His charm departed him. His mein might not be unconnected to the demise of his friend, Prince Adeniyi Adesanya who died in a ghastly motor accident a day before elections.
In a chat with the media, the governor lauded the effort of INEC for providing adequate security to ensure free, fair and chaos free elections but lamented the shortage of ballot papers in most of the polling units.
“Generally, the major problem now is shortage of ballot papers, even where I just voted,there were about 400 voters but only 300 ballot papers were available. I have been told that that is the major challenge in other units and I have told my people to inform the INEC immediately because, after labouring so hard, the people should not be disenfranchised. Everybody must be able to exercise his or her right. This will not be possible if there is no enough ballot papers, so we are calling out to the authorities, especially INEC to provide enough ballot papers,” Amosun stated.
“Certainly, I am sure of victory after the whole exercise, but I hope they will not shortchange us because of the ballot paper issue. In a place where we have 300 to 400 voters with just few ballot papers you can imagine what could happen.”
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency and the Spokesperson for the party’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Hon. Segun Sowunmi, who cast his vote at Ward 6, polling unit 2 in Itoko area of Abeokuta attested to the fact the exercise was free and fair.
His words “I wish they could simplify the whole process so that people don’t stay so long. I am sure the people will endure whatever they need to endure to cast their votes according to their conscience. Well the voting went well except for the fact that the card reader was not functioning well and they had to do it manually. Everything was simple and straight forward. The turn out was very moderate, people were ready to perform their rights.”
All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial candidate for Ogun West, Chief Tolu Odebiyi lamented the little lapses that bedevilled the elections.
The former Chief of Staff to Amosun, speaking to reporters in his Iboro country home said there was need for INEC to intensify training of the ad hoc staff handling the elections.
He bemoaned the delay caused by card readers and shortfall of ballot papers in some polling booths in the senatorial district.
Odebiyi, who committed his chances of coming out victorious in the election to God’s hands, scored INEC 65 percent in the conduct of the exercise.
Inadequate Supply, Late Arrival Of Materials, Card Readers Malfunctioning threaten Presidential polls
Obasanjo Advocates Spirit Of Sportsmanship To Winner, Loser
Late arrival, shortage of materials as well as malfunctioning of the electronic card readers greeted the re-scheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted across Ogun state yesterday.
The election, which witnessed a large turn out of voters across the three Senatorial districts of Ogun, also left some of the political bigwigs in the state with mixed reactions of disappointment and commendations over the conduct of the poll.
In some of the polling units visited, electronic card readers deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) initially malfunctioned as some of them would switch itself off before they were repaired.
This however, slowed down the pace of accreditations and INEC officials also had to resort to manual system before they could accredit electorate for voting in some of the wards and polling units monitored by our Correspondents in Ijebu and Abeokuta areas of the state.
In Abeokuta, the state capital for example, INEC officials would not arrive Ward 11, Polling Unit 22, Ita-Iyalode, Abeokuta North local government where former president Olusegun Obasanjo voted until 10: 15a.m.
Also at Ward 15 Ibara GRA in Abeokuta South local government where former governor Olusegun Osoba cast his votes, materials and electoral officials would not arrive untill 10 :15am. Voting however, commenced immediately the materials arrived at the polling unit.
Also, ballot papers were in shirtage at Ward 6, Itoko area of Abeokuta South local government where the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun voted.
While the total number of registered voters in INEC’s register reads 710, INEC’s officials arrived the polling unit with only 400 units of ballot papers for the presidential election, 500 ballot papers for the House of Representatives and 600 ballot papers for the Senate election.
At Ward 03, polling unit 02, Ita-Osanyin area of Iperu-Remo in Ikenne local government area where the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun voted, card readers initially malfunctioned before INEC senior officials attended to it.
Also at Ward 03, polling unit 03, Iregun within the same Iperu-Remo in Ikene Local Government area, the electronic card reader malfunctioned as it failed to authenticate the electorates, thereby forcing iNEC officials to resort to manual accreditation.
In Sagamu, the card reader failed to read the bio-data of former governor of the state and Deputy Chairman (South), Atiku Abubakar Campaign Council, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, before INEC officials manually accredited him to vote around 8: 20a.m.
One of the INEC official on duty at Ward 05, polling unit 03, Iperu-Remo in Ikenne local government area, Osinamie Jesulayomi who spoke with journalists, also confirmed that the electronic card readers malfunctioned as it would switch itself off at will.
But speaking with journalists after casting his vote around 11: 05a.m at Ita-Iyalode, former President Obasanjo commended the smooth arrangements at which the exercise was going on.
Obasanjo also called on both the winner and loser of the presidential election to accept whatever the outcome of the result in the spirit of sportsmanship.
“I am yet to perform my civic responsibility and cast my vote. I believe in my polling centre, there was a small delay: materials arrived late but it is a small delay by two hours which can be accommodated. Other than that, the process is going smoothly”.
“Through the process ,they put my PVC in the card reader, then they have a bit of problems sorting my thumb print and then when they were able to sort it out, they made me to go through the process of voting”
“It was very orderly. Even though, there were many people waiting ,either waiting to cast their votes or waiting to welcome me, because now, I voted in my compound where I was born”.
“In any competition, there will always be winners and losers what anybody in any competition must be prepared for, as a good sportsman is that if I win, I will show magnanimity. If I lose, I will also bow down graciously. That is what any competition is all about”.
“If your purpose of going to competition is that you must win at all cost, then that is no longer a competition. I know INEC will make amends for the lapses”.
Also speaking with journalists after casting his votes, the state governor, Amosun expressed the optimism that the electoral body would improve on its performance regarding the card readers.
“I know there’s room for improvement for everything. Yes the card reader took some time. In some instances, ghetto 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. I’ll not say it’s cumbersome but it’s truly tasking, seeing the PO signing all the three papers, it’s a lot to work, it’s not easy”.
“We pray that at the end of the day, it would be like this throughout Ogun state and Nigeria, because so far, so good, it’s peaceful except for the issue of the card readers that people are telling me, it’s not working. Even our elderly ones, when they stay for one or two hours on the queue, they get tired. But we’ll ensure that everybody votes”.
Commenting on the issue of insufficient number of ballot papers, Amosun attributed it to a mix up and expressed the hope that INEC would correct it.
“We hope they will bring more before the elections end because it will not be fair for people after labouring this hard, they should not be disenfranchised. Everybody must be in the position to exercise their franchise”.
“They should increase the number of ballot papers because just imagine where they have 800 voters and 300 to 400 ballot papers are available. We have called them to know how they can rectify those issues because everybody mixture vote. I hope, at the end of the day, we’ll have a credible election”.
Also speaking with newsmen after casting his vote at Ita-Osanyin in Iperu-Remo, the APC guber candidate, Abiodun commended INEC on the credibility of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He explained that the exercise had been peaceful, impressive, saying that the people came out enmass to cast their votes.
“The election is going peacefully and the turnout is phenomena. People really came out to exercise their civic responsibilities, “My fear is that what we have seen here will be the same at other polling units”.
Amosun, Odebiyi Express displeasure over card readers
Ogun State Governor, Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Ogun West Senatorial candidate, Tolu Odebiyi, have expressed displeasure over failure of card readers and short falls of ballot papers in Ogun State
Amosun, who is contesting for Ogun Central Senatorial seat under the platform All Progressive Congress ( APC) said though the election process was slow but peaceful and orderliness.
“So far so good, the election was peaceful except the issue of card readers that people are telling me that is not working”.
Amosun said that the failure of card readers may cause alot of delay in the process.
” Our Elders, men and women here may find it difficult because when they stay more than two hours they will want to leave.”
He added that there is a serious challenges on the part of INEC on the short fall of ballot papers in the state
“Even where I voted , we have about 397 registered voters, INEC released just 300 ballot papers and I don’t know how this happened”
This is a real challenges, I have asked our people to call the REC, INEC to draw thier attention to this so that the efforts of our people will not be vain” Amosun said.
However, he call on the Authorities concerns particularly the INEC to increase the number of ballot papers they put arround so that everyone must be in the position to exercise their franchise.
Also showing his displeasure to card readers in Ogun state, the Senatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress, Chief Tolu Odebiyi, said he was very disappointed in INEC despite long term preparations towards this election we can still experiencing the problem of card readers and logistics problem.
He said that the situation call for urgent attention and something has to be done
” Imagine people labouring this hard and they shouldn’t be disenfranchised”.
” We pray that at at end of day election will be peaceful through the state and Nigerian as a whole”.
He hereby commends the electorates for the impressive turn out to perform their Civic duty.
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