By Joshua Oladipo
Some petty traders around polling units in Ede and its environs recorded impressive sales on Saturday, taking advantage of the large turnout of voters during the Osun governorship election.
The traders, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the election provided a significant boost to their businesses and wished similar opportunities were available more often.
A bean cake and bread seller, Mrs Toyin Aina, said she made more money between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. than she normally earned in a week.
“This is an awesome experience and I must thank God that this election came on a date my children had vacated for the long vacation.
“It hasn’t been easy serving the number of customers who crowded my shop since morning, but to the glory of God, the sales have been rewarding,” she said.
Aina said essential workers and voters had patronised her business for food and refreshments while carrying out their responsibilities at polling units.
Similarly, another trader, Ms Kudirat Adeleke, said she moved from one polling unit to another, selling carbonated drinks and bottled water.
Adeleke said she had already met her sales target and planned to rest after making good returns.
She attributed the success to the large number of people at various polling units, which created a ready market for her products.
Another trader, Mr Abdullateef Adebayo, a Point-of-Sale (POS) operator, said he had been providing cash withdrawal services to voters and other residents.
“I have made good business giving customers money either through cash or transfer since I came out.
“To be sincere, the turnout has been encouraging because not many POS operators dared to come out today and that provided a nice opportunity for me,” he said.
Also, Mrs Bukola Olaoye, a food vendor, said she was pleased with the turnout of voters and expressed hope that the announcement of the election results would not trigger violence.
She described the patronage as wonderful and prayed for a peaceful conclusion to the exercise.
Olaoye urged political actors contesting the election to accept the outcome and ensure that the process remained peaceful, free and credible.
Some voters also said the presence of traders around the polling units was helpful, as it allowed them to buy food and refreshments while waiting to vote.
The election is being conducted across the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State and has so far been largely peaceful, although voter turnout has varied across communities.
NAN further reports that voting commenced early at some polling units, while some areas experienced slight delays. As of the time of filing this report, voting was still ongoing in some locations.
( NAN)
