Except for reports of malfunction of BVAS in some areas, presidential and National Assembly elections were held in Kwara State on Saturday under a peaceful atmosphere.

Prominent citizens of the state who cast their votes at their respective polling units across the 193 wards in the three senatorial districts of the state expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the exercise and the large turnout of voters.

Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at his Idigba Polling Unit 004, Adewole area of Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to quickly work on reports of the BVAS machines malfunctioning in some locations in the state.

“It is a good turnout despite the late arrival of INEC materials and malfunctioning of the BVAs in some areas,” the governor, who cast his vote alongside his wife, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq, and members of his family, stated.

In his reaction, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, commended INEC for the peaceful conduct of the Saturday elections.

In a chat with newsmen, after casting his vote in Ilorin, Prof Gambari urged Nigerians to vote for candidates who would meet their desired expectations.

The Chief of Staff, also charged candidates to accept the results of the elections as verified by the INEC, and seek legal ways to address their grievances.

Federal Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, also cast his vote at his Oro Ward 2 polling unit, patting the electoral umpire on the back for a job well done.

He said: “The election has been very peaceful, but what struck me, was the turn out of the young, the old, informed men and women [who] all came out to cast their votes.”

The minister added: “I think you can see the determination and resolve on the faces of all the voters.”

In his reaction, the Social Democratic Candidate, SDP, for Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency, Prince Saheed Popoola, accused the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kwara State, Attahiru Madami, of alleged collusion with the state government.

He, however, commended INEC, for the deployment of BVAS which made the process seamless, just as he noted that the turnout of voters was impressive.

Also reacting, a former majority leader in the state House of Assembly, Chief Wole Oke, described the voting process as quick and simple without any waste of time.

He said except for the refusal of the machine to accept his thumbprint, there were not many issues as three parties contested keenly in the Saturday elections.