Stakeholders bemoan, explain voters’ apathy in Lagos

The 2019 governorship and Houses of Assembly election in Lagos State kicked off on a very slow pace marked by late arrival of electoral officers and high level voter apathy.

As at 10.30am, officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not been spotted anywhere in Ikosi Isheri Local Council Development Area in Kosofe Local Government.

At the council temporary election materials distribution center in Ikosi High school, the electoral officers were seen still distributing materials to the polling agent at about 10.45am.

It was also noticed in most of the places monitored from Maryland through Yaba and parts of Ikoyi the situation was the same, it is either INEC officials were not available and where they are available there were no voter.

As at 11.30 am in unit 002 Cameron road in IKoyi, where 1000 voters were expected only 70 voters had turned up to vote as election officers sat idle waiting for voters.

Expressing displeasure over the development, the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Mudashiru Obasa, who spoke with journalist after casting his vote at Ward E in Agege said he was not happy about the late arrival of INEC officials and that the development was disgusting and unacceptable.

He noted that, such nonchalance attitude was not expected from INEC officials despite the huge sum of money invested in the commission.

He suggested that Nigeria should fashion out a better electioneering and effective process, rather than tailor its own after the western world, which he said was too difficult to implement.

Also speaking on the election, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Dayo Saka-Fafunmi commended the organizers of the election for the level of peace experienced during the poll in the state.

He disagree with the notion of voter apathy, saying that the pattern of voting which no longer require first accreditation before coming back to vote may have reduced the expected crowd at the polling units, saying he believes the turnout was more or less the same with what was witnessed during the presidential election.

While explaining what he believes to be the reasons why there was low turnout of voters, Gbenga Abiola, former sole administrator of Agege Local Government Area, said that the tension that followed the presidential election may have been responsible, adding however that there was no tension in the governorship and House of Assembly elections when compared to the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

He further noted that the seeming apathy may be because people come out to vote at their convenience and that there was no rushing, so people interpreted it to low turnout because the polling units were not crowded.

Abiola however, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) will have a landslide victory in the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State because its closest opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is no longer popular in the state because most of its leaders are now in APC.

It was also noted that in many polling units in Kosefe/Ojota/Ogudu, INEC officials had not arrived at about 3pm.

IN Ikosi Isheri area, some party officials were seen ringing bells to call out voters to come out to cast their votes, because of the seeming apathy and refusal of voters to come out of their houses to cast their votes, as many will rather stay back at home to play games, hang out at bars, while the younger ones used the opportunity to horn their football skills on the free roads.