Apathy mars Ogun LG poll •I’m satisfied —Amosun •Obasanjo’s name missing on voters’ register •Local government reports on pages

The election into all the 20 local government councils and 236 wards in Ogun State, that held yesterday, was marred by low turnout of voters and other forms of irregularities.

Sunday Tribune, which monitored the election, observed that there were reports of missing names of voters on the voters’ registers, while electoral officers were no where to be found in some polling booths.

There were reports of pockets of violence in Sagamu, Remo North and Ogun Waterside local government areas of the state, while cases of ballot stuffing and harrasment of people by security agents in some council areas were similarly recorded.

When Sunday Tribune visited Ward 11, Unit 15, within the African Church Grammar School, Ita-Iyalode, Abeokuta, the name of former  President Olusegun Obasanjo was observed to be missing on the voters’ register. One of the electoral officers, who pleaded anonymity, could not trace the name of the former Nigeria’s president.

The electoral officer directed Sunday Tribune to Unit 16, which is also within the premises, to confirm whether his name (Obasanjo’s) was on the list. The unit’s Presiding Officer, Mr. Kolawole Oyetola, confirmed that Obasanjo’s name was conspicuously missing on the register.

Some voters, whose names were missing on the register, expressed displeasure over the conduct of the election. They described the development as a calculated attempt to disenfranchise eligible voters and to rig the election.
In some local government areas, there were complaints of inadequate electoral materials as well as late arrival of the materials to polling centres.

Sunday Tribune learnt that there were low turnout in virtually all the local government areas while residents  in some parts of the state failed to comply with the movement restriction order by the state government.

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who cast his vote at the African Church Central Primary School, Ita-Iyalode, Abeokuta, at about 1.20pm, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election.

The governor, accompanied by his wife, Olufunso, and some of his aides, when asked to comment on the low turnout of eligible voters in his ward, said the turnout was not extremely bad.

“I will not totally agree with you, yet it was not as what happened during the general election in 2011. Any election that you are having 25 per cent, I think it is not too bad. If you look at our registration in this polling unit, we have about 25 per cent of those that registered.

“You will discover that even the one they had last week in Edo State, if you look at the turn- out really, when you have 30, 40 per cent it is really massive. That is the way we are, yet I am happy that at least we have about 25 per cent turnout, which I think is okay. It could be improved upon. I phoned round and discovered that in almost everywhere, that is the turnout, especially in Ogun Central Senatorial district.

“So, when we heard about the turnout in other Senatorial District, we did not expect anything less,” the governor said.

On missing names on voters’ register, Senator Amosun said that there was nothing that could be done on the development, adding that the voters’ register was given to the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said, “Well, it is a learning process, because they phoned to say one or two things like that even during the general election, we had cases like that where people would come and would not find their names on the list.

“Today, we realised that people have come to say that they could not find their names on the list and OGSIEC told us that it was the list given to them by the INEC, so, I think there is much we can do about it.

“It is a learning process, and I am sure we are going to perfect it in the subsequent elections.”

A reliable source in the INEC office, who does not want his name in print, identified lateness in the collection of the voters’ register from the INEC by the state electoral body as a major factor responsible for the missing of names.

The source said the voters’ register was collected by OGSIEC less than 12 hours to the election while election materials were being distributed out on Friday afternoon.

“We have to blame the OGSIEC for the irregularities. They collected the voters’ register used in the last general election late from the INEC.

If the body had come for the collection of the voters’ register early as advised, this development would not have occurred. They were told to come and collect the register early enough. The blame should be put at their dooorstep,” the source added.

Reports across the state showed that the polls were generally peaceful and devoid of violence that characterised such exercise in the past.

Sagamu
There was low turnout of voters in Sagamu Local Government Area of the State in the Saturday election. At Simawa High School, there were alleged irregularities as the chairmanship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mrs. Funmi Efuwape, escaped being lynched following a disagreement between some opposition supporters and those of the ACN.

The Akarigbo and paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba (Dr) Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo,  could not perform his civic responsibility at his Ward 2, Owonifari polling unit due to non-availability of voter register. Sunday Tribune gathered that the monarch, accompanied by some of his family members, arrived the polling unit for accreditation at about 9.35a.m. but electoral officers were not on ground to accredit him. Apparently disappointed,  the monarch, it was gathered, left for his palace.

The electoral officer eventually turned up at about 10.45a.m. and directed the few voters on ground to register their names in an exercise book. This development was objected to by the voters, who demanded that the officials should produce the voter register. The electoral officers, who sensed danger, fled the unit and as at 12.35p.m., neither accreditation nor voting had been conducted at the polling unit.

Yewa North
Low turnout of electorate and missing names on the voters’ register characterised most polling centres in Yewa  North local government of the state.

Reports of missing names on the register was the order of the day. Voters who came as early as 7a.m. to the polling centres were yet to be accredited as at 11a.m. as most of them complained that their names were missing. Forms EC 8 (1) and EC (2) in which election results are recorded were also not available at the polling centres.

An Electoral Officer,  Oluwole Fisayo, at Ward 1 unit 2, said the names on the register was 619 while the ballot papers  available was just 200 and had accredited just 56 people as at 11a.m.

The Returning Officer for the ward, Raji Lukman, also testified that there were missing names and insufficient materials but said that calls had been put through to the state electoral commission for correction.

Ipokia
The situation in Ipokia Local Government area was however different. Sunday Tribune gathered that the turnout was impressive. Though, it was gathered that electoral materials got to some polling units late, voters were said to have patiently waited to perform their civic duties.

At Ileshe–Tube, voters were still on queue at about 5.30p.m.  when the election was supposed to have ended by 3.00p.m.  Security personnel were on ground to maintain peace and order.

Yewa South
There were reports of low turnout of voters in Yewa South Local Government. The electoral officers were said to have reported early at different polling units waiting for the voters to come out for accreditation. Apart from Iwoye, the turnout was generally low.

Odogbolu
In Odogbolu, there was also report of low turnout.  The people were said to have complied with the restriction order of the state government that there should be no movement from 8.00a.m.  to 3.00p.m. It was gathered that electoral officers at Ward 10, Akio/ Abatiwa, left the polling unit before the commencement of the election. There were reports of alleged multiple voting, intimidation and harassment by some members of the ACN in the council area.  At Ward 7, Ososa, the situation was the same, according to the Director of Publicity of the, PPN, Deji Kalejaiye. At Ward 3, Okun-Owa, the ruling ACN won the election which was described as peaceful.

Abeokuta South
In Abeokuta South, there were reports of missing voter register as well as non availability of Forms EC 8(1). The election was generally peaceful as results at various wards were being counted at the time of filing this report.

A chairmanship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, Prince Gbenga Osinowo, described the election as a charade and a “mother of all rigging.”

Osinowo, a former commissioner for Commerce and Industry in the last administration,  told Sunday Tribune that his name was missing as the chairmanship candidate in the local government.

“As far as I am concerned, there is no election in Odogbolu. There is no opportunity of fair competition. This is a sham and mother of all rigging,” he said.

Also, a chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Mr. Ifekayode Akinbode, expressed disappointment in OGSIEC over the conduct of the election.