Minority Leader of the Edo House of Assembly, Mr. Charity Aiguobarueghian, has expressed concern over the low turnout of voters in the ongoing by-election for Ovia Federal Constituency, in spite of the smooth and peaceful conduct.
Aiguobarueghian, who represents Ovia North East I State Constituency, spoke with journalists after casting his vote at Unit 22, Ekiadolor Ward 4, on Saturday.
“The only challenge I can decipher is a palpable voter apathy. There is very limited participation. People are not coming out, and we cannot be very sure why that is the case,” he said.
According to him, while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned well at his polling unit and the election materials were complete, the general enthusiasm for the poll was lacking.
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He attributed the poor turnout partly to low publicity and short notice for the by-election, which followed the elevation of Dennis Idahosa, former representative of the constituency, to the position of Deputy Governor of Edo.
“This was less than a month’s notice. Usually, we have up to a year to canvas votes.
“The engagement was very low. Some people also feel disillusioned by the outcome of the recent governorship election, saying that elections no longer reflect the people’s desires,” he explained.
On speculation that PDP had no polling agents on ground and had allegedly struck a deal with the APC, Aiguobarueghian dismissed the claims as false.
In spite of the aforementioned challenges, the lawmaker expressed optimism that the process would end smoothly and urged residents to exercise their civic duty. (NAN)
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