Minority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Charity Aiguobarueghian, has raised concerns over the low turnout of voters in the Ovia Federal Constituency by-election, despite what he described as a peaceful and orderly process.
Aiguobarueghian, who represents Ovia North East I State Constituency, spoke shortly after casting his vote at Unit 22, Ekiadolor Ward 4, on Saturday. He noted that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) worked efficiently and election materials were intact, participation remained worryingly low.
“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.
He attributed the lack of enthusiasm partly to the short timeframe for the poll, which followed the elevation of Dennis Idahosa, former representative of the constituency, to the position of Deputy Governor of Edo State.
“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.
Addressing speculation that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had no polling agents present and had allegedly struck a deal with the All Progressives Congress (APC), the lawmaker dismissed the claims as unfounded.
Despite the challenges, Aiguobarueghian expressed optimism that the election would conclude smoothly and urged residents to come out and exercise their civic duty.
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