Poll: Economic activities return to Ado Ekiti

RESIDENTS of Ado Ekiti resumed their normal activities on Saturday evening, nearly an hour before the police-ordered restriction of movement officially ended. 

The ICIR reported that the Ekiti State Police Command had restricted vehicular movement across the state, ahead of the governorship election, as part of efforts to prevent electoral violence and other vices while ensuring the safety of voters, officials and sensitive materials.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, a superintendent of police, disclosed this in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Friday.

Abutu said the restriction would take effect from midnight (12:00 a.m) to 6:00 p.m and cover both intra-state and inter-state roads within the state.

The police noted that the restriction would apply to all forms of motorised transportation, including private and commercial vehicles, trucks, tricycles and motorcycles.

However, The ICIR observed that businesses began to resume minutes after 4 pm in parts of Ado, the Ekiti State capital. At the time, some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were seen on different streets, on motorcycles and in vehicles, moving election results and other material to their offices after the sorting and counting of votes.

This organisation could not immediately confirm whether the police had arrested anyone for violating the movement restriction. But the development appears to be a recurring trend in many commercial cities across Nigeria, particularly those with a high concentration of tertiary institutions, government establishments, and significant economic activity, such as Ado Ekiti.

Meanwhile, The ICIR reports that the election was largely peaceful across the state, with the election still ongoing in some polling units, including that of the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Wole Oluyede, at the Osaguru Hall, Unit 6, Ward 3, Ikere Ekiti.

While filing this report, most residents were anticipating who will become the state’s next governor after the conclusion of the poll.

The winner will assume power on October 16, when the first-time tenure of the current administration ends.

Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He’s a good governance and decent society advocate. He’s The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation’s News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org