Widespread voter apathy marred the native authorities elections held in Lagos and Ogun states on Saturday.
Reviews from totally different components of the states confirmed that many citizens shunned the polls for lack of curiosity within the train, worry of electoral violence, and lack of religion within the end result of the election.
In Lagos, the state unbiased electoral fee performed the polls throughout the 20 native authorities areas and 37 native council improvement areas of the state.
Within the Ifako-Ijaiye and Agege native authorities areas, presiding officers have been seen ready for eligible voters to reach for accreditation and voting.
A presiding officer at Ojodu Grammar Faculty 1, Polling Unit 017, Abel Obina, mentioned solely seven individuals had forged their votes as of 11.15am out of 150 registered voters.
“The turnout isn’t good as anticipated. Lots of people are nonetheless at dwelling,” Obina added.
The brokers of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Celebration on the polling items confirmed Obina’s account.
One other PO at Polling Unit 006, Dairyfarm Nursery and Main Faculty, Agege; Nobei Austin, advised one in every of our correspondents who visited the realm at 12.20pm that solely 15 individuals out of 99 registered voters had voted.
“We even have points with the cardboard reader. We’ve to resort to handbook accreditation,” Austin mentioned.
The state of affairs was the identical within the Itire/Ikate LCDA of the Surulere Native Authorities Space the place a lot of the eligible voters within the varied councils selected to spend the day enjoyable or indulging in leisure actions.
In most streets within the councils visited, youths of the voting age have been seen enjoying road soccer whereas main roads have been empty as a result of enforcement of motion restriction.
Additionally, most of the polling items have been transformed to rest spots as some social gathering loyalists who made up the majority of the voters entertained themselves with drinks whereas ready for the election to come back to an finish.
There was a light drama at Unit 008, Ojodu Main Faculty, as some youths have been seen entangled in a quarrel over sharing of money given to them by a politician who visited the polling unit to forged his vote.
Bother began after the cash – wads of N1,000 notes – was handed over to a fairly-complexioned slim man on the college premises. The person surrounded by some youths, together with girls, stormed into a store reverse the polling unit.
Afterwards, arguments ensued as they may not attain an settlement on the sharing method.
In Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, merchants displayed their wares regardless of the restriction of motion introduced by the police.
Within the Isheri space of the Kosofe Native Authorities Space, electoral officers have been additionally seen ready for voters to come back out.
At Group Corridor, Isheri Oke II, Polling Unit 039, it was noticed that just a few voters turned out for the train.
A presiding officer, Ajayi Anthony, who confirmed one in every of our correspondents the record of registered voters, mentioned, “It’s been very gradual; many individuals are usually not exhibiting up. We’ve been right here since 8 am. It’s been over three hours and simply six folks have voted, thus far. That has been our concern; we had no concern with our card reader.”
A motorbike rider, who recognized himself as Taofeek, mentioned he had no voter card and wasn’t within the strategy of enriching one other politician.
Whereas reacting to the event, the Chairman of LASIEC, Justice Ayotunde Philips (retd.), mentioned, “The turnout may be very low; sadly that’s not our drawback. It’s the political events which might be supposed to speak to their social gathering trustworthy to come back out and vote. And in the event that they don’t work with us to sensitise their folks to come back out and vote, there’s nothing we will do about it.”
The spokesperson for LASIEC, Mr Tope Stephen, mentioned that whereas the voting was reportedly profitable in most areas, there have been stories of violence in some areas.
“There was a report of violence in Olorunda LCDA which concerned the beating of presiding officers and snatching of ballots; fights broke out at Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and likewise in some items in Shomolu, whereas there have been transportation challenges skilled by the fee at Alimosho LGA. These are mere pockets of random assaults which have been in the end curbed by the safety items,” Stephen added.
In response to LASIEC regulation, in an election to the workplace of the Chairman or Councillor, the fee will paste on the state or native authorities space or and native council improvement space officers of the fee, a discover exhibiting the candidates on the election and the rating and the individual declared as elected or returned on the elections.
Stephen mentioned, “The outcomes for in the present day’s (Saturday) election will likely be collated on the LGAs and LCDAs and launched there. With the convenience of motion and variety of voters in the present day, the outcomes could also be out this night or tomorrow.”
In the meantime, LASIEC Returning Officer, Mr Olumide Metilelu, on Saturday night declared APC because the winner of chairmanship election in Ikorodu Native Authorities.
In response to Metilelu, the candidate of the PDP, Mr Hassan Rafiu, had a complete of 1497 votes, whereas Mr Wasiu Adesina of the APC had 4729 votes.
Adesina was due to this fact declared winner of the chairmanship election within the native authorities by the returning officer.
“Having complied with the requirement of the regulation and scored the bulk variety of votes, Wasiu Adesina is hereby declared elected and returned as chairman of Ikorodu Native Authorities,’ Metilelu mentioned.
The state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Celebration mentioned it will be foolery to anticipate truthful and credible outcomes from the native authorities elections held throughout the state.
It mentioned lots of its members in areas like Oshodi and Shomolu, believed to be hotbeds of violence, stayed away to keep away from being attacked by thugs.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State chapter of the PDP, Taofik Gani, additionally blamed the low turnout of voters for the election on the worry of being attacked or caught up in electoral violence.
However reacting, the APC mentioned the PDP must be blamed for its weak spot and incompetence as an opposition social gathering within the state.
“If we had any apathy, it was resulting from weak opposition. So, when there’s ineptitude and incompetence on the a part of the opposition, the tendency is there that the ruling social gathering will at all times have a area day,” the spokesperson for the APC, Oluseye Oladejo, mentioned.
Abiodun, PDP faction commerce phrases in Ogun
In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun and the PDP on Saturday traded phrases over the conduct of the ballot, which was additionally marred by alleged rigging.
Abiodun, who forged his vote on the Ward 3, Unit 2, in Iperu, his hometown, Ikenne Native Authorities Space of the state mocked the PDP for withdrawing from the election.
However, in his response, the state Chairman of the PDP, Sikirulahi Ogundele, claimed accountability for what it described as “the unimpressive turnout” of the ballot within the state.
The state chapter of the APC mentioned it was happy with the conduct of the election.
The State Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Ayo Olubori, added, “One other method of describing voter apathy is to say the ruling social gathering is having an awesome acceptance and dominance over others. That’s one other interpretation of what anyone can name voter apathy.”
In the meantime, the Nationwide Consultative Entrance has accused political rulers of conspiring in opposition to constitutional governance anchored on a simply, united, and secure nation.
The Media Assistant of NCFront (Public Affairs Bureau), Yusuf Abdullahi, mentioned this in a press release on behalf of its Nationwide Secretary, Wale Okunniyi, whereas reacting to the low turnout of voters through the council elections in Lagos and Ogun states.
In response to Okunniyi, the continual circle of elections within the nation with out the favored constitutional consensus of the various peoples of Nigeria was “a transparent train in futility and a time bomb for the company existence of Nigeria that have to be urgently detonated by Nigerians earlier than it’s too late.”
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