Our reporter/ Registered voters in Lagos State, on Saturday, trooped to the polls to elect their preferred chairmen and councillors who will pilot the affairs of the 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.
There are 13,325 polling units across the 376 wards spread across the state and Lagos has an estimated population of 20 million people.
On the eve of the election, LASIEC Chairman Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile said that no political party was restrained from participating in the elections.
Information from the agency showed that 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship, and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.
Information from the agency showed that 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship, and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.
The councils where elections were held included Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, and Surulere.
The LCDAs are Orile Agege, Ifelodun, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbe-Idimu, Mosan-Okunola, Oriade, Apapa Iganmu, Olorunda, Badagry West, Eredo, Ikosi-Ejirin, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru/Victoria Island, and Lekki.
Other LCDAs are Ojokoro, Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Ijede, Imota, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikosi-Isheri, Lagos Island East, Yaba, Odi-Olowo, Iba, Oto-Awori, Ejigbo, Isolo, Bariga, Coker-Aguda, and Itire-Ikate.
According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), voting was expected to commence at 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m.
However, observers who monitored the exercise across the state, said the turnout in many of the voting centres was low.
As of 11:20 a.m., only six out of the 234 registered voters at Ikosi-Isheri PU 036 had come out for accreditation and voting, despite the presence of LASIEC officials and agents from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Out of the 1,229 registered voters at Alausa PU 003, only 20 had voted as of 11:45, more than three hours after the official voting and accreditation time of 8:00 am.
A similar situation was observed at Alausa PU 027, where only five votes had been cast, out of 62 registered voters, and at Alausa PU 085, with seven registered voters, and no votes, as of 11:56 pm.
At PU 014 in Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area of the Surulere LGA, only 60 people had exercised their franchise out of the 669 registered voters as of noon.
Although there were no reports of major violence during the polls, voter intimidation and late arrival of materials were recorded in some areas.
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