Adebayo Adenrele
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council in Osun State and Federal lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Oke Oluwole, has called on residents of the state to maintain peace before, during and after the governorship election.
Oke-Oluwole stated this after casting his ballot at Polling Unit 018, located in front of the College of Technology, Esa-Oke, in Registration Area 07 of Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State.
He urged politicians and their supporters to put aside their differences once the electoral process had been concluded and embrace one another as brothers and sisters.
He stressed that peaceful coexistence remained essential to the development and progress of the state, irrespective of political affiliations or differences.
According to him, the election should not be allowed to permanently divide families, friends and communities, noting that people with divergent political opinions would eventually return to their normal relationships after the poll.
The lawmaker, who described the voting process as impressive, said the large turnout of voters was encouraging, despite initial delays caused by challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He said the BVAS issue had been resolved at his polling location and expressed hope that similar technical challenges would not undermine the smooth conduct of the election.
“It is only when you have a peaceful environment that you can witness progress. That is the ultimate. We have nothing more or nothing less than to ensure that we cohabit peacefully.
“After this whole process, you will see families coming together. A family that had divergent political opinions, different political lineages and different political inclinations, you will see them coming together as brothers and sisters.
“Impressive. You can see the large turnout, save for the delay occasioned by the malfunction of the BVAS machine, which has just been fixed. Everything looks good”. He eaid
Oke-Oluwole also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their professional conduct during the exercise.
He said the electoral officials appeared to be discharging their constitutional responsibilities effectively, while security personnel had provided an environment conducive for voters to exercise their franchise without intimidation.
The APC campaign council chairman further urged eligible voters who were yet to come out to participate in the election, assuring them of the presence of security personnel and the ongoing efforts by INEC to facilitate the voting process.
“As far as my ward is concerned, everything appears to be in order. The security men are up and doing their work, with no interference. You can see citizens freely voting.
“I commend the security agencies. I commend INEC. They are doing their job. These are constitutional bodies and institutions saddled with constitutional and lawful responsibilities, and they are discharging their responsibilities. I am impressed so far”.
