- Kazeem Badmus
The Deputy Senate Leader and the Director General of Imole Campaign Council, Senator Lere Oyewumi, has described the conduct of the governorship election in Irewole Local Government Area as very pathetic and discouraging.
The Ikire-born politician alleged that suspected thugs disrupted voting and attacked Accord Party agents in polling units across the local government.
Oyewumi, who spoke with journalists on Saturday after monitoring the poll, said voters trooped out in large numbers early in the day but fled when violence erupted.
“The situation in this local government is very pathetic. What we are witnessing here is very discouraging.
“People showed enough enthusiasm since morning; they trooped out en masse. By 7 a.m., when I visited some polling units, there were hundreds of people there.
“But within 30 minutes, problems started. Some gang of thugs went to all the polling units, beat up Accord Party agents, scattered everything, and everybody vanished,” the lawmaker said.
Oyewumi, who also criticises the performance of security agencies in the local government, said their presence was inadequate to contain the situation.
“The conduct of the security personnel is not encouraging at all, especially the police. You have about four or five policemen and some civil defence at each polling unit,” he said.