Poll: Residents besiege markets to stockpile foodstuff

Ahead of Saturday’s general elections, residents of Osogbo in Osun on Friday besieged the major markets in the town to stockpile food stuff at home.
At Oja-Oba, Akindeko and Igbonna markets, many of the residents were seen buying food stuff in large quantities.
The foodstuff purchased by the residents includes rice, yams, beans and garri.
Mrs Bolanle Aderibigbe said that she was at the Akindeko market to get foodstuff ahead of the elections.
Aderibigbe said that since markets would not open on Saturday and no one knew what the outcome of the election would be, she decided to be proactive.
Another resident, Mrs Aishat Abimbola, who was at Igbonna market, said she came to buy food stuff because of fear of possible post-election violence.
Abimbola said that her intention was to buy foodstuff in large quantities to avoid being caught unprepared.
In her remarks, Mrs Ayo Bamidele, a rice seller at Igbonna market, said that there was unusual patronage of buyers in the market.
Bamidele said that it was only during the festive period that the market ordinarily witnessed such high patronage by buyers.
Also, Malam Sule Kadiri, another raw food merchant, said that the market had been recording human traffic since Wednesday.
Sule said that the high patronage was probably due to the election on Saturday.
Meanwhile, majority of banks in the town did not open for business transactions following a public holiday declared by the state government.
The few banks that opened for business, in text messages to their customers, said they would however, close by 2.00p.m.
At First Bank branches and Guaranty Trust Bank, many customers were turned back at the gate by security personnel, who advised them to use the Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
Short queues of people collecting money at the ATM were also noticed in most banks in the metropolis.