Voter turnout is massive… it’s very unusual, says Biodun Olujimi on Ekiti election

Biodun Olujimi, senator representing Ekiti central, says the voter turnout in Ekiti governorship election is massive.

Voting to elect a new governor of Ekiti is underway across the state.

Speaking in an interview with TheCable on Saturday, the legislator said voting in ward seven, Ekiti-east LGA is always chaotic, but she prays there is no outbreak of violence.

“During elections, it is usually very peaceful early in the morning, that is the way it is. We don’t usually experience violence until mid-afternoon,” she said.

“But we are praying that we don’t experience it this time because the last experience was very rough. Three people passed on, several were wounded. It was the house of assembly rerun. That is why people are just relaxed, people have lost hope in the issue of the house of assembly.”

“We have spoken to ourselves and agreed we will be peaceful and whoever wins, wins.”

On voter turnout, the lawmaker said people are defying all odds to ensure that they cast their ballots.

“The turnout is massive. Women are, of course, much more than men, but this turnout is very unusual,” she said.

“Maybe it is due to voter education; may be it is due to the fact that we now insist that if you don’t have a PVC you cannot do so many things and that is working for us. People are now interested, people just want to cast their ballot and maybe it is because this is a mid-term election where everybody believes they can have a voice. I think this is great.”

She expressed confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which she is a member, will win the governorship election.

“We mobilised greatly. People underrated us but we did a great job and we believe that at the end of the day we will be victorious,” she said.

The legislator added that so far she has not observed any incident of vote buying in her ward.

“We have not seen it here, maybe because of our past experience and maybe people have devised new means of doing it. But we have not seen that around here,” she said.