By Sam Olakunori
Akure
For a large part of the day, On Saturday, 22nd August, everywhere in Ondo state was in an election mood. As directed, shops and markets were closed; public transport was on hold. Even the ever-busy Nepa-Arakale-Isinkan road was as smooth as baby skin.
People – including a Centenarian – were out to vote. To vote for their desired local Government Chairman or ward councilor. While turn out in some areas were low, some polling units were filled to the brim. Most of the areas with low turnouts are areas with a high population of elite people. A good example is the polling unit inside Alagbaka Primary School. As at 10:38 am when our reporter visited the polling unit, there were less than 50 voters, with only 5 people accredited. 1510 people were expected to vote in this area.
For political parties, 9 out of 17 parties participated in the election. There are 17 political parties in Nigeria, according to INEC. These nine parties fully participated in areas like Akure South and Ondo West Local government, some areas like Akure North had two contestants, 5 (28%) local governments were unopposed.
Owing to these statistics and in preparation for Ondo 2020 Gubernatorial election, here are some points Technocrat Media observed, which need to be worked on.
Voters Education: People still need to be lectured, tutored, and implored to see voting as their right. The ‘literate’ and ‘elite’ must see the advantages of using one of their civil rights. INEC, ODIEC, NGOs, and all other relevant bodies must come together to educate people on why they need to vote and the advantages. Considering the number of registered voters against those that vote, Ondo state still has a long way to go. In November 2017 election, only about 35% of the total number of registered voters voted in that election.
Beef Up Security: not fewer than 5000 police officers were deployed for the local council election. The election also had other security agents in place. However, there were still reports of election violence in some quarters of the state. If the local government election could be this ‘bloody’, one should expect more from the gubernatorial election, which more parties are more involved and there is a high-interest rate. Therefore, it is very important that more security men are deployed for the October 10 governorship election.
No underdog party: Generally, it is of the belief that the October 10 Governorship election is a 3-horse race – the All Progressives Congress (APC), the peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Results from the just concluded local government election are saying otherwise.
Although the APC won in all the 18 local governments, it was a tough battle for them in some local governments, like Ondo East Local government, Akoko South West local government, and few others. Parties like the social democratic Party and African Action Congress can’t be overlooked in the forthcoming election. Although the PDP and the ZLP boycotted the local government election, it won’t change much in the Ondo 2020 election.
