The peaceful and orderly conduct of the primary election to pick the All Progressives Congress candidate for the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State has been concluded.
A total of 2,326 delegates accredited for the election took part in the exercise.
Voting by the accredited delegates, which commenced at 1:06pm, ended at 4:14pm without any record of violence as all stakeholders comported themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner.
The delegates’ list comprised 63 statutory delegates, who took the first slot to cast their votes, while the remaining delegates from across the 16 local government areas of the state took turns to cast their votes.
The Ekiti East Local Government delegates were the first to take the shot at ballot, while those from Irepodun LGA voted last.
Votes’ counting is expected to commence in earnest following the successful conclusion of voting.
Commenting after the end of voting, the Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the electoral committee, Tanko Al-Makura, restated that nothing would compromise the transparency and credibility of the primary election.
To this end, Al-Makura warned agents of the governorship aspirants and security agents that none of them was allowed to touch the ballots in line with the resolve of the electoral committee to ensure no one compromised the election.
Thirty-two aspirants are contesting for the party’s governorship slot ahead the July 14 election in the state.
Following the peaceful and timely accreditation of 2,326 delegates, actual voting commenced at 1:06pm with the 63 statutory delegates casting their votes first, and followed by the 35 other delegates made up of executive members of the party in the state.
The statutory delegates included three former governors of the state: Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chief Segun Oni and Otunba Niyi Adebayo; and former Governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olomilua.
Two of the former governors, Fayemi and Oni, are also contesting with other 30 aspirants for the APC governorship ticket.
The other aspirants include Senators Gbenga Aluko and Ayo Arise; former members of the House of Representatives Hons. Opeyemi Bamidele, Bimbo Daramola and Bamidele Faparusi; and a former Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamisile, among others.
The voting ran smoothly, while the presence of security agents comprising personnel of the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Corps ensured there was no breakdown of law and order.
The election was done on the basis of senatorial districts, with local governments in the Ekiti South Senatorial District taking the first turn to vote.
Thereafter, local governments in the Ekiti North and Ekiti Central Senatorial Districts voted.
Meanwhile, two fake agents were arrested at the venue of primaries.
They were arrested on Saturday with fake “agent” tags.
When they were accosted by security agents, they claimed to have been contracted by one of the aspirants who later denied knowing them.
Charms and red clothes were recovered from them before being whisked away by security agents.