LIKE many other residents of Akure, Ondo State capital, Temitope Oluwatoyin had rushed to the Oba-Oja market, along the Oba Adesida Road on Friday, November 15, to purchase some foodstuffs.
Friday, November 15 is the eve of the Ondo State governorship election slated for Saturday, November 16.
As expected, there will be restrictions on movements to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the state’s off-cycle election in a free, fair and credible manner.
Oluwatoyin, who shared her excitement with The ICIR observed there were unusual business activities at the market.
“You can see that the market is a bit full. I think it is because of the election,” she said but expressed concern that she would not be voting in Saturday’s election.
“I am not an indigene of this place, so I am not voting,” she said.
Stephen Ogunleye, an indigene of the state, wishes to vote but expressed displeasure over the hardships in the country.
“The situation is very bad. To eat, to feed the family is difficult. As I am now, I’m extremely poor. I don’t have money,” Ogunleye who should be in his early 40 years lamented.
He argued that for him, voting was a waste of exercise, claiming that casting his ballot would not change his condition.
“I can’t vote. I can’t go anywhere and vote,” he said, even though the polling unit is close to his residence.
However, Stephen Andrew, a trader, selling men’s wares, at the Oba-Oja Market holds a different view.
Although he didn’t look very excited about the election, he said he would come out to vote on Saturday.
“I’m a trader here, so I’m not talking about parties or whatever. What I’m saying is that I just want God to put the right person there so that everything will be okay.”
Andrew feels that the government needs to do more for the masses by improving infrastructures and creating wealth.
“Hardship is in town now. They (the government) have tried, they are trying their best. The government should put in more effort, there’s serious hardship in the land,” he stressed.
He also noted that Friday’s market was quite busy and unusual because of the election.
“People are just rushing to the market because tomorrow is an election,” he added.
No roadblocks, security checkpoints
No police or security operatives checkpoints were mounted in the Ondo state capital as of the time of filing the report Friday afternoon.
The ICIR took a tour of the city from the INEC office in Alagbaka through the NEPA Roundabout to Arakale Market and Oke-Aro.
Its reporter was also at the Ijoka area to Akure-South Local Government secretariat before returning to the Oba-Oja Market and Alagbaka.
The reporter only observed a security presence at the Governor’s Lodge, called the VIP Lodge in the state capital.
At the INEC office early on Friday, a heavy security presence was noticed ahead of the election.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the state on Saturday as voters head to the poll to elect their next governor.
A total of 1,757,205 voters who collected permanent voter’s card are expected to cast their ballots in the 3,933 polling units across the 203 Wards in the 18 local government areas of the state.
According to INEC, 18 political parties are featuring candidates. However, The ICIR reported that three candidates withdrew from the race.
The Appeal Court also sacked the Labour Party candidate in the election, Olusola Ebiseni, on Thursday, November 14.
The leading contenders in the poll are the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the former Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
They are both from the southern senatorial region of the state.
The ICIR reports that Agboola was deputy to late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu between 2017 and 2021.
Following an unresolved feud between him and Akeredolu, the late governor replaced him with Aiyedatiwa while recontesting for the governorship office in 2020.
Aiyedatiwa succeeded the late governor on December 27, 2023, after his principal passed on after a prolonged illness.