Female voters outnumber male voters

A total of 1,407,222 voters, comprising 661,394 males (47 per cent) and 745,828 females (53 per cent), were registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the Osun State governorship election that held on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that an information kit on the election issued by the commission indicated that there were 332 wards, 3,010 polling units and 3,379 voting points across the 30 local government areas of the state.

Twenty registered political parties fielded candidates to contest the election.

The leading candidates were the incumbent Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress and Sen. Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr. Fatai Akinbade of Labour Party was also expected to do well in the election.

Aregbesola hails from the Osun East Senatorial District; Omisore is also from Osun East Senatorial district, while Akinbade is from Osun West.

A total of 29 domestic and foreign observer organisations were registered by INEC to monitor the conduct of the election.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was low vehicular movement on the Osogbo-Gbongan road as security agents mounted road blocks to check vehicles going in and out of Osogbo.

A motorist, Mr. Joshua Adelaja, said the work-free day was responsible for the low traffic on the road.

He said the roadblocks mounted by security men across the metropolis with the attendant traffic gridlock also discouraged many motorists from going out.

Adelaja, however, lauded the presence of security agents in the state, saying it would discourage miscreants from disrupting Saturday’s election.

The police also warned against unlawful acts, adding that it was nonpartisan.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Folashade Odoro, gave the warning in an interview with NAN on Friday in Osogbo.

The spokesperson said the constitutional role of the police was well spelt out, adding that it was not a partisan institution.

Odoro also dismissed a report that a journalist, Mr. Ayodeji Moradeyo, and a cameraman, Binafia Miebi, of Television Continental, were arrested on Thursday.

The spokesperson said the duo had gone to a party secretariat where they were refused entrance.

She said the duo was assaulted in the ensuing melee, adding that the police eventually rescued the journalists.