Biola Azeez
Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Hakeem Lawal, has blamed the low voter turnout in the gubernatorial elections on transportation issues and security arrangements.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at precisely 9:50 am at unit 003, Magaji Aare Ward 1, Ilorin, Ilorin East local government, said there was voters’ apathy.
“As you can see there is voter apathy. People did not come out enough. I don’t know why, possibly transport issues, may be delayed in the process. The only thing I observed while coming is that security outfits blocked many routes, affecting people’s movement.
“It is indirectly disenfranchising them, people should be able to move, to go and vote”.
However, the lawmaker representing Share/Oke Ode state constituency in the Kwara state House of Assembly, Hon. Razaq Owolabi, blamed the low voter turnout on the poor performance of opposition parties in the presidential election.
Hon. Owolabi said that the majority of the electorate in the governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state on Saturday are APC members, adding that supporters of opposition parties in the state had no reason to come out to vote because of their dismal performance in the presidential election.
He also said that information from party stakeholders in the state so far had shown that APC had a good outing and promised to win the governorship election in the state.
Also, the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, Hon Gbenga Makanjuola, decried the low turnout of voters which he said might not be unconnected with” abnormalities” recorded during the February 25 presidential elections in the state.
The former member of the House of Representatives, who cast his ballot in his Oke-Aja polling units (008), decried the non-functioning of BVAS in some polling units believed to be a stronghold of the oppositions in Omu-Aran.
“The turnout is low, maybe because of complicity in the last elections on the aspect of the umpire where voters are being deprived of their votes from being counted and maybe some people believe they have gotten what they wanted.
Also speaking to journalists at his polling unit 008, former military administrator of Bauchi and Osun states, Colonel Theophilus Bamigboye, expressed concerns over voter apathy recorded in the elections saying “the turnout is low, but I don’t know why”.
He, however, expressed delight with the peaceful conduct of the elections and manner in which voters conducted themselves”.
Former Speaker, of Kwara State House Of Assembly, Professor Ali Ahmad, has blamed the observed low turnout of voters on Saturday in Ilorin on the alleged poor conduct of the last presidential election on February 25.
Ahmad, the director general of, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council, said that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) conduct of the presidential elections came with an altogether different outcome from what voters expected.
Ahmad spoke at his Gbabi Amidun unit at Opo Malu, Ilorin East local government area after casting his vote on Saturday for the governorship and House of Assembly election.
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