Ondo 2020: High turnout of voters in Ikare-Akoko

TRACKING___There was a high turnout of voters in Ikare-Akoko, headquarters of Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday for the governorship election.

Many polling units visited by correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recorded a high turnout of voters who lined up in orderly queues to perform their civic duty.

In the Ikare township, shops were locked, while security agencies were at various places, including the polling centres, just as military personnel manned some major roads leading to Akure, the state capital, inspecting occupants of vehicles.

Police operatives and those of the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Commission mounted some roadblocks in parts of the metropolis.

Mr Ademola Iyiola, a Presiding Officer at Unit 002, Orun Ward 1, told NAN that accreditation and voting began at the polling unit at 8.30 a.m., with a fairly large turnout of voters.

“We first checked their body temperature levels and sanitised their hands, before checking their cards with the card reader, after which they are accredited and voting is conducted simultaneously,’’ he said.

A community leader in Ikare, Mr Jimoh Bawa, told NAN that the prompt and orderly conduct of voters was an indication that the election would be peaceful.

“As you can see, our people are coming out to exercise their franchise, despite the early morning shower. The people are willingly coming out early to vote and I believe that at end of the day, their votes will certainly count,’’ Bawa said.

Ondo State has a population of 3.5 million, with 1.47 million registered voters expected to vote in 3,009 polling units in the 18 local government areas of the state.

The governorship election is being contested by 17 candidates.

[NAN]