Low voter turnout, late arrival of election materials in Edo LG poll

*Commercial bus drivers, motorists and traders say “exercise is not credible”; young people play football at the voting location

The Edo Local Government Area elections, held on Saturday, were characterized by late arrival of election materials and low voter turnout in some polling stations.
As at the official start of 8.30 am, accreditation and voting at most polling stations were also delayed.

While the election materials were awaited, officials of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIC) and other stakeholders, security operatives were present early and awaiting the arrival of the election materials at some of the centers visited.

As a result, many polling units were still expected to receive sensitive materials well after their scheduled start times, leaving voters and officials waiting.

At Imaguero Primary School, Ward 11, Oredo Local Government Area, voting finally started around 9am, about 30 minutes after the official start time of 8.30am.

An election official said the exercise was expected to begin at 8.30am

Election officials were at the center as early as 7.30am, while some voters arrived before 8am awaiting the exercise.

Ballot boxes and other electoral materials for the presidency and councilor election arrived around 8.20am, paving the way for voting to begin later.

Security presence also steadily increased, from three police officers at around 7.35am to 12 staff members before voting began, which ensured a smooth process.

However, despite official traffic restrictions, commercial buses and other motorists were seen traveling along the Ring Road-Sapele Road corridor, while patrol vehicles also maintained visibility on the roads.

A similar pattern was recorded in several polling units across Oredo.

At Oyegun Center, District 2, Units 1 and 2, voter turnout was low as residents waited without election officials or materials.

Mr Adewonyi Oyekanmi, a lecturer at Benson Idahosa University, said he arrived at the polling station at 7.47am

“I was the first to get here this morning. At 8.40 there were still no election officials,” he said.

At Aruogba Health Center for District 2, Unit 85 and Wellspring University for District 2, Polling Unit 81, there were no election materials or officials as of 9 a.m.

Mr Adebayo Sunday, who identified himself as the Chairman of Unit 81, expressed surprise at the situation.

“As of 9 am, no voters have arrived at the center. We are still waiting for election materials and other officials,” he said.

In New Benin, Ward 7, Unit 7, voters waited at 9:11 a.m. but election officials and materials were not in the unit.

Delays were also observed in Egor Local Government Area. The situation was the same at Ugbowo Estate Primary School, Ward 10, as voting did not begin at the official time.

At Polling Unit 26, located at St Patrick Catholic Church, Ugbowo, the situation was also no different as neither election officials nor election materials had arrived at the official time.

The situation remained the same regarding late voter materials, accreditation and voting in District 9, Units 1 to 8, in Ugbowo

At Ugbowo Primary School; Units 9, 10, 11 and 12, voters arrived early but had to wait for election officials and materials at 9 a.m.

The police deployment gradually increased from three to 12 officers, after election materials finally arrived at some of the monitored polling units.

Commercial buses, motorists and traders at the New Benin Market were also seen going about their normal activities, indicating limited compliance with vehicle movement restrictions announced by the police for the elections.

Voting began around 9.30am. after the arrival of voting materials in neighborhoods 8 and 10 of Egor and in units 1 to 10 in neighborhood 8, in Uselu secondary school, among others visited.

The same situation was observed in Units 42, 44 and 51.

In an interview in Uselu, Mr Moses Osadolor, a voter from Unit 5, attributed the relatively early start of voting in the neighborhood to Uselu’s status as a distribution center for local government election materials.

“The voting started a few minutes before 9, not 8. But there are no chairs or tables for the officials, who remained standing throughout the entire operation.

“This alone makes the process fall below standard. Chairs and tables should be here. Imagine officials standing,” Osadolor lamented.

Osadolor also described turnout as low, saying “only I voted in this unit. Some people came early, waited for a while and left.”

Ward 8 Supervisory Chairperson, Mrs Grace Ahiante, attributed the situation to logistical issues.

“We should have taken chairs and tables from the classrooms but they were locked.

“However, one of the councilors volunteered to rent a shed, chairs and tables, and that is what you see when they are unloaded,” he explained.

In contrast, Ward 12, Units 1 to 6, at Oba Market in Oredo Local Government Area, recorded smoother operation.

At 10 am the voting was already underway.

Mrs. Blessing Odion, one of the voters, described the process as orderly.

“The operation went smoothly. The turnout is low, but I think people are adopting a walk-in model where they come, vote and leave,” he said.

He added that election materials arrived at the polling station early, allowing voting to begin without significant delays.

Twelve political parties have been authorized by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission to contest elections in 18 local government areas of the state.

Additionally, dozens of young people abandoned local government elections for a football match, saying they had little interest in an election that they said lacked real political competition.

The youths played football at the field of Uselu Secondary School, the polling center for Polling Units 1 to 10, District 8, Egor Local Government Area, as election officials conducted the exercise nearby amid low voter turnout.

The youngsters set up the goalposts and played football in sets.

One of the players, Samson Osagie, said he was not motivated to participate in the elections, describing them as lacking real political competition.

“The elections have already been won because the APC is the only major party participating in the elections.

“We don’t even know some of the candidates in the election,” he said.

Another youth, Thompson Momoh, attributed his absence from the polling station to the fact that he had not yet obtained his permanent voter card (PVC).

“I just registered my voter ID and it is yet to go out.

“If it’s ready before the 2027 election, I will vote.

“Meanwhile I joined the football match because there is a restriction order and I can’t go to work today,” he said.

Furthermore, Paul Omoregie said he attended the football match because it was part of his normal weekend routine.

“I play football here every Saturday and today can’t be great,” he said.

EDSIEC is conducting elections for chairman and councilor positions in the 18 local government areas of the state, with 12 political parties allowed to participate.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) are among the parties that boycotted the elections.

Some voters attributed the generally low turnout at many polling stations to the decision of the main opposition political parties to boycott the elections.

Fidelis Onwuma, who voted at Polling Unit 1 of Imaguero Primary School, District 11, Oredo Local Government Area, said voter turnout was lower in the 2026 elections unlike previous elections.

“The main opposition parties did not present candidates and their absence reduced voters’ interest in the elections,” he said.

Similarly, Abisoye Lawal, attributed the apathy to the generally low level of public interest associated with local government elections

“I will say that people don’t have much interest in local government elections like they do in presidential elections and national assemblies,” Lawal said.

He added that elections for president and councilor usually attract fewer voters than higher-level contests.

Similarly, John Esele said some eligible voters may have stayed away due to their experience during previous local government elections, where voters had reportedly gathered but election officials had not arrived.

However, he urged residents not to abandon the electoral process, describing voting as a civic responsibility.

Another voter, who simply wanted to be called Osas, said he participated in the local government elections for the first time because someone he knew was running for councillor.

He said he had not previously considered such elections important enough to participate in.