…As 94 years old Esongban of Benin Kingdom decries low turnout of voters, describes Feb. 25 Elections as fluke
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, said he would win his unit being governor of the state.
Obaseki made the boast shortly after casting his vote at his polling unit, Emokpae Primary School, ward 4, unit 19, Oredo Local Government Area of the state.
Recall that the governor lost his polling unit and ward in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections to the Labour Party candidates.
Obaseki said the reason he is sure of winning this time around is because it is a local election.
“You can see that this is exactly different mood today compared to what happened in the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, that is an aberration .
” Today, people will come out and express themselves based on the local issues and not the national issues .
“And I am confidence winning my unit because i am the governor of Edo State”, Obaseki said
Obaseki who cast his vote at 10:15am, appealed to the security agencies to relax their grips so that electorate could come out and exercise their franchise because they are being threatened by their presence.
“Yes, there is voter apathy no doubt, but however i believe that there are many more people who want to come out to express their franchise but the overwhelming presence of security men, the lockdown of the city.
“The lockdown is of extreme. I am appealing that they should relax.
“Security is to police people’s activities and not prevent people for getting to their polling units. Right now, people are being prevented from going to vote at their polling units.
“We know the presence of the security is because what happened in the previous elections but I am saying that there should be a balance .
“You can see that this is exactly different mood today compared to what happened in the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, that is an aberration .
” Today, people will come out and express themselves based on the local issues and not the national issues”, Obaseki said .
Speaking on the voters apathy that characterized the state House of Assembly election in the state, Chief David Edebiri, the Esongban of Benin Kingdom, age, 94, said the people have lost interest in the process because their expectations were cut short when their preferred candidate, Peter Obi was not declared winner of the February 25 presidential election.
“I am here to vote as I did two weeks ago. It will interest you to know that I started voting at the age of 22 in December 1951 in the regional election to the House of Assembly elections at Ibadan.
“We were then part of Western Region. Since then I have not failed to vote in any election be it national or sub-nationals.
“I thank God I am alive to vote in this election
“Some of the things that happened last two weeks was just a fluke.
“Those who voted were not members of the party, they came for certain purpose to make some statements and when that statements failed, their interests died.
“Feb 25 election was the best I have seen and taken part in since 1951”, Edebiri said.
Similarly, in Edo North, there was still high level of voter apathy In Auchi, the headquarters of Etsako West LGA , the visit to most of the polling units witnessed voters apathy
A visit to ward 1,2,3 in the community saw trickles of voters.
In an interview, an APC chieftain who is also the managing director of Benin Owena Rivers basin development Authority BORBDA, Engr Saliu Ahmed who cast his votes in ward one of the local government said although the turn of voters was low as the time he voted, he was optimistic it will improve before the ending of voting period
The same situation witnessed in Agbede, South Ibie in Etsako west LGA, Igarra in Akoko Edo, Fugar, Etsako Central, Okpella, Agenebode in Etsako East, Warrake, In Owan axis.
According to respondent across the various units attributed the voters aparty to lack of confidence on INEC, the lost out of their candidates in the last election and the scarcity of cash to solve to solve logistics problem.