On Saturday, Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State cast his vote at his Ikogosi country home during the first local government council election conducted by his administration.
Governor Oyebanji who voted at his Ward 6, Unit 003 Okelele Street, Ikogosi-Ekiti around 11.40am, commended the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) for a seamless and peaceful electoral process.
The governor also expressed gratitude to the Ekiti electorate for the peaceful conduct of the election, which occurred across all the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 22 Local Development Council Areas (LCDAs).
After casting his vote, Governor Oyebanji spoke with journalists, expressing his satisfaction that people at the grassroots were able to choose their representatives at the local government and the 177 wards without fear, threat, or any form of crisis.
He described local government election as strategic and fundamental to the delivery of dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
Governor Oyebanji who scored the current local government administration in many of the council areas in the state high in the areas of infrastructure development, maintained that local governments are viable instruments of grassroots political participation, socialization, economic and infrastructure development.
Governor Oyebanji commended the State Independent Electoral Commission and the security agencies in the state for ensuring the peaceful conduct of the election. He emphasized the government’s commitment to prioritizing voters’ education and sensitization across the state to enhance a more robust democratic process and participation.
“I am happy that as government we are doing this, because local government election is the most critical arm of government with respect to delivering government policies at the grassroots level and it is very important to democratise government at this level because it is the closest to the people and the beauty of democracy is to have representatives at that level being elected by the people and am happy that we have done this in Ekiti State.
“I am also happy because the people on their own have the opportunity to choose their representatives at local government level and at the ward level. So far so good, the turnout is a bit low and that tells us we need to do more on voters’ education and sensitization.” Oyebanji said.