Kehinde Adewole, Ado Ekiti and Billy Graham Abel Yola
A yet-to-be-identified electorate has been allegedly killed during violence that greeted the low turnout of Local Government polls in Ekiti State.
This is as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Rt. Hon Funminiyi Afuye trade blames with the opposition PDP over-involvement.
Although reports say that Afuye condemned the killing but PDP members and Special Adviser to former Governor of the state, Seun Olusola had alleged that the Speaker led a team of suspected political thugs to a polling booth at AUD Araromi area of Ikere, who allegedly shot at four members of PDP, killing one when the people allegedly resisted their attempt to allegedly stuff the ballot boxes with already thumb printed ballot papers.
It was gathered that the violence erupted in Okitiko area of Ikere, in Ikere Local Government Area of the state, where the suspected party thugs shot sporadically in the air at a polling booth and caused electoral officials and others to take to their heels with many persons seriously injured.
Also in Adamawa state, there were reports of low voters’ turnout amid tight security as the newly deployed commissioner of police, Philip Maku, deploys 7343 security personnel for the elections.
Yusuf Isa the party agent of APC at unit 18 Karewa ward said, “As far the conduct of this election is concerned, we are satisfied with what is going on here except that the election materials arrived late.”
As at 11 am, voting was yet to commence in Mubi north and south local governments, but in Lamurde local government, voting started as early as 8 am as scheduled.
Spokesman of the police, in Ekiti state, Sunday Abutu said he was yet to be briefed on the tragic development.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the state, the exercise was peaceful. In Ado Ekiti metropolis, the commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada riders were seen plying major roads, while traders opened their shops to make their sales despite the restriction order announced by the police between 8 am and 2 pm.
The exercise was to elect the 16 local government chairmen and 177 councilors.
To avert disruption of the election by party thugs, the police commissioner, Mr. Asuquo Amba, deployed his men to all the 2,195 polling units across the state.