Voters turned out in large numbers in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, on Saturday as residents gathered at polling centres ahead of the commencement of accreditation for the governorship election.
Ikire is the hometown of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who is seeking to unseat the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke.
Adeleke, who is contesting for a second term on the platform of the Accord Party, faces a major challenge from Oyebamiji and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam.
Residents began arriving at polling units as early as 7 a.m., with many checking the voters’ registers displayed at the centres to confirm their names.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were also present at several polling units before 7 a.m., making final preparations for accreditation and voting.
Security was tight across the town, with unarmed police officers stationed at various polling centres, while armed security personnel, soldiers and patrol vehicles were deployed to strategic locations.
Despite the election preparations, vehicular movement continued along the Ife-Ibadan Road as of 8:20 a.m., with motorcycles and cars moving through the town.
The atmosphere remained largely peaceful, with some businesses open as residents went about their activities while awaiting the commencement of accreditation and voting.
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