The Labour Party governorship candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, described his voting experience as “smooth and efficient.”
He expressed hope that every other voter in the state would have the same smooth experience he did.
Akpata cast his vote at Oredo Ward 6, Unit 11, smiling and giving thumbs up to the cheering crowd.
“For my own process, it was seamless, the machine worked, I was captured and I picked up my ballot paper, I went into the booth, I thumbprint where you would imagine I would thumbprint and so that went well,” Akpata told reporters.
“I hope that would be the experience of every Edo voter. I am not going to conclude that that is the experience of every Edo voter until we start to get feedback.
“We are getting some concerning feedback from around the state, but I am not the kind of person who is going to make any statement until I verify the sources of my information. So, it is early in the day, and we will be observing the process as we go.”
Akpata also expressed confidence in the process, saying that he is optimistic if the playing ground remained level until the end.
“So, I’m hopeful and optimistic that this is a process that is going to be well run and that the playing field would be allowed to be totally level so that the best man or woman will win today,” he said.
Akpata, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is going head to head with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidadte, Monday Okpebholo and other 14 candidates in the race to succeed Governor Godwin Obaseki.