Ondo State Governor and All Progressives Congress candidate for the state’s governorship election, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, cast his vote on Saturday at Unit 05, Ugbo Ward 4 in Ilaje Local Government Area, exactly at 8:55 AM.
After voting, Governor Aiyedatiwa commended the timely arrival of election materials and officials, as well as the peaceful atmosphere in his unit. He expressed confidence in his position for victory, attributing it to his performance in office over the past 10 months and the people’s affection for him.
“I believe with what we have done in the last 10 months, the voters know who they want and I believe I am at a vantage position in this election because of the works that I have done in the last 10 months since I assumed office as governor of the state,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He emphasized his extensive campaign efforts, stating, “We traversed the entire 18 local governments, we visited communities, I want to say that I was the only candidate that covered the entire 18 local governments and visited major communities during the campaign period.”
Aiyedatiwa recalled that during his campaign, he directly interacted with the people, listened to their concerns, and responded to their requests.
“I saw with my eyes, I felt the people, I listened to them and I responded to their requests and their questions. They were always excited at my appearance, so because of the huge turnout during the campaigns, I believe they will translate that love to votes today. I have confidence that in the outcome of the election, I have advantage based on performance and I want to believe that victory will come my way,” he added.
Discussing the election process, the governor described the situation in his unit as calm and peaceful, with an encouraging voter turnout.
“Here in my unit and community, it has been calm and peaceful, and the turnout is very encouraging. I want to believe that the same situation will be at the other locations across the state. It is peaceful here, I believe it should be peaceful in other locations,” he said.
He also commended the security agencies, including the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the military, for their heavy deployment in the area to address any potential security threats. “I believe the people will comport themselves. We are peaceful people in Ondo State. Ondo State has been adjudged to be one of the safest and most peaceful states in Nigeria,” Aiyedatiwa said.
The governor expressed optimism that the election would be peaceful, credible, and transparent, stating, “We have been having elections in a peaceful environment and this very one will not be different. The citizens are law abiding. Having been in the saddle for 10 months, this state has been very peaceful and they know who and what they want.”
Aiyedatiwa also commented on the accreditation process, stating, “I went through the whole process of accreditation before casting my vote and I believe the INEC officials will do the same at every location. So I want to believe that it will be transparent and credible and conclusive at the end of the day.”
While he could not provide details for all locations in the state, the governor shared that reports indicated election materials had arrived in other areas.
“But the information at my disposal now revealed that other locations also have materials, but I can’t speak of across the whole state yet. As we progress, we will begin to get more information,” he said.
In his message to voters, Aiyedatiwa urged eligible voters to turn out in large numbers to cast their votes.
“My message to the eligible voters is that they should go out en masse to vote and decide who will govern them for the next four years and they should go out without any fear, the environment is peaceful, calm, they should all come out and vote,” he said.
