Voters at Ward 11 Owode Imuagun Akure North

Our Correspondents

Voters across Ondo State trooped out to vote on Saturday, in an election that will decide who occupies the Governor’s Lodge, Alagbaka, Akure for the next four years.

The Independent National Electoral Commission says 1.47 million residents of the State are eligible to vote in the election.

However, going by past experience, less than 50 per cent of the persons on the register may turn up to vote.

Voters across the 18 Local Government Areas, 203 Wards and 3,009 polling units are expected to use their ballot papers to determine if they want the incumbent Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is contesting on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, to continue in office or if they want any of the other 16 candidates on the ballot to replace him.

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Among the 16, the strongest opposition to Akeredolu’s second term was unarguably the candidate of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Eyitayo Jegede.

Indeed, Akeredolu  and Jegede were the only candidates among the 17 believed to have structures to win the election.

In a way, today’s election is a replay of the 2016 gubernatorial election of the State in which Akeredolu and Jegede were also the major candidates.

7:02am: INEC officials arrived at Voters at Ward 11 Owode Imuagun Eringbo/Egbedi/Eringbo Akure North.

Voters at Ward 11 Owode Imuagun Akure North

7:22am: INEC officials and voters arrived at Polling Unit 20, Magistrate of Akure South.

Voters and election officials at Magistrate court Akure South

7:30am: Voters at Ward 4 polling unit 006, Ijomu Obanla Badas House getting ready to vote.

Voters at Ijomu/Obanla Badas House

8:35am: Voting have started across the state.
The election officials also ensured that voters follow COVID-19 protocols put on ground by INEC.

Voters being screened at Sacred heart polling unit 009 ward Gbogi/Isinkan 1 Akure South LGA, the voting centre of PDP’s candidate, Mr Eyitayo Jegede.

9:00am: PDP’s candidate, Eyitayo Jegede arrives and joined the queue at Sacred heart polling unit 009 ward Gbogi/Isinkan 1 Akure South LGA to vote.
Meanwhile no social distancing even though some are using face masks.

Jegede arrives polling unit