Edo Poll: Late Arrival Of Security Operatives, Faulty BVAS Mar Voting Exercise In Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha LGAs

As the Edo State governorship election gets underway on Saturday morning, voting exercise was delayed in Oredo and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas of the State.

As at 9:28am, some polling units visited in the LGA have not commenced voting.

Ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Oredo Ward 12 Unit 5 in Oredo local government area attributed the delay to the late arrival of security agents when LEADERSHIP visited at 9:06am.

Voters comprising youth and the elderly were seen sitting and some standing awaiting the commencement of the exercise.

However, a large voter turnout was recorded at the Ologbosere Primary School, Ugbekun Ward 7, Units 16 to 39 of Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the State.

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Voting was yet to commence at Unit 39 due to malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Electoral officers told LEADERSHIP that the machine had been taken to the INEC office for replacement while voters waited patiently for the arrival of another BVAS.

Meanwhile, it was beehive of commercial activities as traders struggled to gain entry into the Ologbosere Primary School venue of the voting exercise, to hawk food, drinks and other consumables.

Due to the large number of voters and units in the ward, party agents were seen at the entrance of the school, sorting out voters by their various voting units.

There was tight security as security agents including men of the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Road Service Corps and those of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps manned the Sakponba Road in the Ikpoba-Okha local government area of the state.