Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye, who is also the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate, has declared that Saturday’s gubernatorial election could go down as the best in Ekiti State’s history, praising voters for their remarkable turnout and INEC for its impartiality.
Speaking after casting her vote at 8:50 a.m. at Atiba/Aafin Ward 1, Polling Unit 003, in Ikere Ekiti, Afuye expressed deep satisfaction with the conduct of the electorate, describing the massive participation as proof that Nigeria’s democracy is maturing.
“You can see for yourselves how people trooped out to participate in this election. Not only trooping out but being ready and anxious to participate in the voting. I am indeed impressed with this conduct of our voters,” she told journalists.
The deputy governor, who is running alongside incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji, noted that reports from across the state confirmed the high voter enthusiasm.
“I am not using Ikere as the only area of focus now; we are getting the same information from some of our local governments and towns about how our voters are coming out in large numbers. This shows that the rigorous campaigns that we did yielded positive results,” she said.
Afuye also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their professionalism, noting that voters were not intimidated.
“I have to commend INEC as well and our security agencies. They really prepared for this election. You can see that nobody is being intimidated, and I believe if we continue like this, this election may turn out being the best in Ekiti history,” she added.
Asked to predict the outcome, Afuye expressed unwavering confidence that Governor Oyebanji would secure a landslide victory, citing his performance in office.
“Governor Oyebanji is not only winning this election, it is going to be by a wide margin,” she asserted.
Afuye appealed to political actors to adhere to electoral rules and maintain the peace from voting through collation.
