Nigeria Content Online

The House of
Assembly election in Edo State yesterday was held in a mostly peaceful
atmosphere throughout the state, with pockets of mild violence in some
areas which was quickly brought under control by the combined security
agencies, involving the police and soldiers.

There is no governorship election in the state until next year.

Edo Central was the
battle front as the ruling party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
has vowed to capture some of the seats in the state house of assembly
held by the opposition PDP.

The House of
Representatives election into Akoko-Edo federal constituency was also
held peacefully. In Uneme Nkehua Ward 9, where the ACN House of
Representatives candidate and former national president of the National
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Peter Akpattason,
is from, voting was going on smoothly as of 3 pm.

But in Aiyegunle
Ward 7 where the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Tunde
Akogun, hails from, Mr Akogun alleged that the election was being
rigged in favour of his major opponent, Mr Akpattason. He alleged that
some traditional rulers in the area had engaged town criers to publicly
announce their endorsement of the ACN candidate.

Voters’ turnout was
remarkably high, higher in some areas than last week’s presidential
election. In Benin City, the state capital, voting went on smoothly
without serious challenges. Accreditation started in some areas in
Igarra, Akoko-Edo local government council as early as 8am without any
reported hitches. Each voter was accredited at an average of one minute
per person.

There were no
reported incidents in the five local governments visited in the Edo
North area, where the governor, Adams Oshiomhole, urged the people to
vote and stayed behind to defend them.

Mr Oshiomhole was
accredited at 11.53am at Iyamho Primary School and voted at 12.30pm. He
described the election as peaceful except in some parts of Edo Central
where there were reports of ballot snatching.

In Obe Primary
School, Fugar, where the chief of staff to president Goodluck Jonathan,
Mike Ogiadhome, voted, the turnout in the area was lower than what was
experienced in the last presidential election.

He told journalists
shortly after casting his vote around 1.34pm that he was sure the
election would go the way of the previous ones, which were relatively
peaceful in the area.

ACN in the lead But
in Ebele, Igueben local government council, there was a reported case
of ballot boxes and voters’ registers being stolen by unknown gunmen.

There were also
reported cases of skirmishes in Uromi, also in Edo Central, where the
ACN was accused of being instrumental to the violence and attempted
rigging in the area.

But the state
chairman of the party, Thomas Okosun, denied the allegation, saying
that the party abhors violence and rigging and could not have indulged
in such acts.

Early results from some polling units in Benin City yesterday showed that the ACN candidates were ahead of their PDP opponents.