Unprecedented number of enthusiastic voters on Saturday thronged various polling units in different towns, villages and hamlets in Ekiti State to perform their civic rights in the ongoing governorship election.
Also, there were combined security personnel on the ground to protect lives and property in different parts of the state.
There was also security presence at both far and near the polling centres from Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital..
At the Ekiti State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, there was heavy presence of security agents to forestall any eventuality.
The News Agency of Nigeria, while on monitoring of the polling units, reports that security agents arrived many polling units as early as 7:20am.
Aside the police, other security agencies and outfits providing security include Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency and Federal Road Safety Corps.
At some of the border towns linking Ekiti with other states, military men were strategically stationed with officers and men keeping vigil and conducting search on vehicle owners and occupants.
The restriction placed on human and vehicular movement during election was strictly obeyed by residents and travellers alike, as most inter-township roads were empty.
This development compelled many voters to trek long distances to their polling units, as there were no taxis or commercial motorcycle operators to convey them.
Besides, all markets, shops and eateries were under lock and key.
Some of the places visited included Ado-Ekiti; Ikere-Ekiti; Efon-Alaaye in Efon Local Government Area; and Ifaki-Ekiti, the home town of Segun Oni, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party.
Other areas were Ise-Ekiti, the home town of former Minister of State for Works, Dayo Adeyeye; Emure-Ekiti; Ido-Ekiti; and Omuo-Ekiti, hometown of Senator Biodun Olujimi of the Poeples Democratic Party and Rep. Femi Bamisile of the All Progressives Congress.
In many of the places visited, scores of voters were seen already on queues, waiting for the attention of the electoral officers.
Those sighted among the crowd of the enthusiastic voters included students and artisans of between 18 and 20 years, old people and a handful of expectant mothers.
It was observed that in most of the places, officials, including ad hoc staff, deployed by INEC arrived only few minutes after 8am, while some of them have no chairs to sit on.
NAN reports that 16 candidates from different political parties are slugging it out in today’s election, with only a female candidate, Kemi Elebute-Halle of the Action Democratic Party.
Others include candidates of ACCORD, AAC, ADC, APC, APGA, APM, APO, LO, NNPP, NRM, PDP, PRP, SDP, YPP and ZLP.
According to statistics at the disposal of NAN, over 17,000 policemen were deployed for the election, with NSCDC deploying 9,747, while the army and others also deployed appreciable figures.
When contacted, Morolake Odebunmi, the Public Relations Officer of INEC, told NAN that there was nothing much to do at the INEC office this morning.