FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN
The rescheduled Houses of Assembly election which is taking place across the country witnessed low turn out of voters across the major towns in Edo state.
The turnout of voters and the enthusiastic to vote compared to the last presidential and National Assembly elections is very poor.
In Benin city, INEC officials came out very early in all the different voting centers, but voters turn out was very poor which shows there was voters apathy.
Speaking after casting his vote in Polling Unit 019 ward 4 In Oredo , Benin city , the governor, Godwin Obaseki complained of the tight security around the city. He appealed to the authorities concerned to relax it, as voters are finding it difficult to move to their polling units to cast their votes.
“ you can see that most people have not come out to vote, but I believe they will come out later , but the security situation should be relax to enable them to come out to vote.
There were pockets of reports in some parts of the state capital, the IDP camp in Ohogua community In Ovia north east ,as hoodlums invaded the polling units at the camp and carted away electoral materials thereby disrupting the voting process in the camp
Also report from Edo central District says the same low turnout of voters is witnessed, adding that only the real politicians are the ones coming out to vote.
In Auchi, the headquarters of Etsako west LGA , a visit to most of the polling units witnessed voters apathy, trickles of voters unlike the presidential election.
In an interview, an APC chieftain who is also the managing director of Benin Owena Rivers basin development Authority BORBDA, Engr Saliu Ahmed who cast his votes in ward one of the local government said although the turn of voters was low as the time he voted,he was optimistic it will improve before the ending of voting period
Similarly the situation was the same in Agbede, south ibie in Etsako west LGA, Igarra in Akoko Edo, fugar, Etsako central, okpella, Agenebode in Etsako East, warrake, in owan east
According to respondent across the various units , they all attributed the voters aparty to lack of confidence on INEC, the lost out of their candidates in the last election and the scarcity of cash to solve logistics problem.
