Ajimobi explains low turnout as Ladoja alleges irregularities

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Saturday attributed the low turnout of voters in Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections to the eagerness for change at the federal level than in the states.
“In some states they want continuity and feel that once the government at the top has been changed, the one at the state level is of less concern to them,’’ Ajimobi said after casting his vote at Ward 11 Unit 20 of Community Grammar School, Oluyole Extension in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
According to him, the conduct of the elections was “commendable, transparent and excellent”.
He said that the report of pockets of violence during the elections has been addressed by the appropriate authority.
“ We should expect such violence in an environment like this,’’ Ajimobi, who was accompanied to the centre by his wife, Florence, and a daughter, said.
The governor said that reports reaching him indicated that the elections had been peaceful.
He said that the elections had been so far the best in the history of the country.
“INEC has corrected the lapses that occurred in the last election and this made the governorship and House of Assembly elections to be very smooth,’’ Ajimobi said.
But Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the Accord Party governorship candidate, expressed displeasure with the electoral process in some polling units within the Ibadan metropolis.
Ladoja, a former governor of the state, said this while addressing newsmen after his accreditation at Ward 10, Unit 13 at Ondo Street, Old Bodija, Ibadan.
“Although things are going on smoothly here, reports reaching us from some other centres within the metropolis have been quite disturbing.
“We have heard of malfunctioning card readers and of political thugs intimidating voters in the exercise of their rights. We also have reports of thugs stealing ballot boxes,” he said.
Ladoja, however, reiterated his confidence in the security agents in ensuring that the people’s mandate was not stolen.
Mutiat, the wife of the former governor, who accompanied him to the polling centre, said she was confident that her husband would be victorious at the polls.