The Presidential and National Assembly Elections commenced on a peacefully on Saturday in Osogbo, the Osun capital.
Electorate in their hundreds started trooped to the polling units as early as 6:30a.m to exercise their civic rights.
There was, however, late arrival of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff and election materials in most of the polling units visited.
At Unit 20, ward 4, Fingerlicking area in Osogbo, as at 7:22am, there was large turnout of voters anxiously waiting for INEC officials who were yet to arrive at the unit.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were seen at the unit, also waiting for the arrival of the INEC staff and election materials.
Mr Fadeyi Solomon, one of the electorate, who claimed to have arrived at the polling unit at 6:00am, said he was surprised at the late arrival of the INEC officials.
Also at Polling Unit 19, ward 4 and unit 18, Ward 4, Finderlicking, Osogbo, the situation was the same with the presence of security personnel and large number of electorate, waiting for INEC officials as at 7:30 am.
Alhaja Sadiat Baruwam, a retired police officer said she has been waiting at the polling unit since 7:00am.
Baruwa, who said the late arrival of materials and INEC staff might cause a delay in the voting process, noted that electorate were anxiously waiting to cast their votes.
At Polling unit 14, ward 4, Fagbesa , there was also no presence of INEC staff as 7:20am, but large number of electorate waiting to cast their votes .
Security personnel were also seen waiting for the commencement of the election.
The INEC Presiding Officer at the polling unit, Moses Onike, attributed the lateness to logistics reason.
Also at unit 5, Ataoja E, Salvation Army Primary School, Osogbo, INEC officials were seen as early as 7:00am, setting up the tables and pasting the voters’ list on the wall.
Also in Ede South, there was heavy security presence with large number of electorate seen in most of the polling units.
As 7.10am at Unit 9, ward 2, where Governor Ademola Adeleke, is expected to vote, there was large turn out of voters waiting for INEC officials for accreditation .
There was large turnout of voters in Ile-Ife and heavy security presence with early arrival of INEC officials in most of the units visited.
At unit 7, Ward 111, Oja-Tuntun Open Space, in Ife Central Local Government, the INEC officials arrived as early as 7:00am.
Meanwhile, there were checkpoints mounted soldiers in all the major roads leading to Osogbo, the state capital, as residents complied with restriction movement order.
NAN
