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Alexander Okere, Benin
residents of Edo-South senatorial district on Wednesday trooped out in large number to cast their votes across the 1,410 polling units in the district.
Edo-South has the largest number of local government areas, with a total of 1,101,543 registered voters.
The local government areas and their respective number of registered voters are Egor, 184,296; Ikpoba-Okha, 260,342; Oredo, 279,270; Orhionmwon, 108,387; Ovia North-East, 126,391; Ovia South-West, 79,989, and Uhunmwode, 64,842.
Both candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki, and his counterpart from the Peoples Democratic Party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, hail from the senatorial district.
The APC candidate and his wife, Betsy, cast their votes in Oredo Ward 4, Unit 19, while Ize-Iyamu voted in Iguododo, Orhionwon Local Government Area.
Although many voters arrived at their respective polling units as early as 7:30am, accreditation and voting began simultaneously at about 8:30am due to the late arrival of electoral materials in some wards and units.
Our correspondent observed that there was a heavy presence of security personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security.
There were also stop-and-search operations on major roads by soldiers while the restriction order was also enforced.
The exercise was, however, marred by the alleged inducement of voters in many areas.
In Oredo Ward 1, located within the premises of Garrick Memorial Secondary School, most of the voters were seen jostling for money which was said to have been allegedly provided by the ruling APC.
But the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, dismissed the allegation.
Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke shortly after voting in Ward 2, Unit 2, Oredo Local Government Area, said, “When I look at a place like this, I do not see how you can give somebody money.
“How do you know how somebody has voted, giving how secret it (voting) truly is?”
However, voting ended at about 3pm in most of the pulling units.
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