Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
There are reported cases of violence in parts of Kogi State with the governorship election underway, even as Governor Yahaya Bello has expressed satisfaction with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of the crucial polls.
The Governor was speaking shortly after casting his vote at his Agassa Ward 001 country home.
Bello was accompanied to the polling station by his wife, Amina Bello, who also cast her vote at the same polling booth.
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Casting his vote at around 11:30 am at his at his Ward 002 polling unit, Senator Smart Adeyemi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate, expressed satisfaction over the turn out of voters in the area.
While expressing hope that Governor Yahaya Bello will be reelected, Adeyemi, impressed with voter turn out, as confident that he would clinch the senatorial seat.
Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye cast his vote at around 9:05 am at his Iluafon Ward, in Aiyetoro Gbede.
ALGON Chairman,Taofeek Isa, while casting his vote at Odokoro Unit 2, urged young people to conduct themselves in an orderly manner, even as he observed that the election was peaceful in his area.
APC stalwart and former state party treasurer Ismail Ade, voting at around 10 am, stressed that he was hopeful that his party would win the election.
Daily Sun, meanwhile, has gathered that there were reported shootings in Kabba, with gunmen storming polling units to snatch ballot boxes
Speaking on the incident, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the thugs came in an unmarked bus to units 1 and 2 in Asuta wards, in Kabba, allegedly supervised by the police and security personnel.
The armed thugs were said to have cartred away the votes so far castle also making away with other sensitive materials.
Ologbondiyan said there were reported gunshots in Egbeda ward to scare away voters loyal to the opposition.
Other reports reaching our correspondent indicate wide malpractices in the eastern part of the state where PDP candidate Musa Wada hails from.
The police are said to have made some arrests.