Tag: LG Elections

The Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, on Saturday voted at Polling Unit 002, Ward A4, in the Oke Balogun area of Epe.

Speaking to journalists, Hamzat described the election’s conduct as peaceful and encouraging.

LASIEC officials arrived with voting materials at 10:18 a.m. Accreditation and voting commenced simultaneously at 11:20 a.m.

Hamzat expressed optimism about the election’s outcome, saying he expected his party to win by a large margin.

In spite of the delay, he expressed satisfaction with the process and encouraged voters to participate.

“Voting has started and we just hope it continues smoothly. People are still voting, so I am encouraged. So far, so good. It’s early to assess turnout, but it’s been impressive and encouraging,” he said.

The deputy governor attributed the delay to logistical challenges faced by LASIEC. He noted that with around 800 polling units in Epe, the officials had much ground to cover.

“Election is about logistics, and people should understand that. They must ensure everything is in place and organised properly,” he said.

Hamzat urged voters to remain orderly and cooperate with LASIEC officials for a peaceful, violence-free process.

Security personnel were stationed at the polling units to maintain peace.

Obasa hails peaceful Lagos council elections

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has praised the peaceful conduct of the council elections in the state.

He gave the commendation on Saturday after casting his vote in the Lagos local government elections held on Saturday. The speaker described the process as commendable and encouraging.

Obasa voted at Polling Unit 019, Ward E, on Oluwole Olaniyan Street in the Orile Agege area of Lagos. Upon arrival, he briefly interacted with electoral officials and constituents before casting his ballot.

Speaking with journalists after voting, Obasa expressed satisfaction with the process, calling it peaceful and free of violence or irregularities.

“So far, the process has been peaceful and without any form of disruption. It is good to see citizens exercising their democratic rights,” he said.

He commended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) for ensuring a smooth and well-organised electoral process.

The speaker emphasised that peaceful elections are crucial for democracy and good governance. He urged eligible voters who had not yet voted to come out and participate in the election.

“It is important we all take part. Voting is both a right and a responsibility. Everyone should fulfil this civic duty,” he said.

Obasa expressed confidence that the election results would reflect the true will of the people. He also stressed the importance of transparency, fairness, and credibility throughout the entire electoral process.

Mr Abdulganiyu Obasa, the speaker’s son and APC vice chairmanship candidate, expressed hope for a peaceful conclusion to the election.

LG poll: APC not responsible for parties’ failure to field candidates in Lagos – Chieftain

Mr Abolade Rufai, All Progressives Congress (APC) Party Secretary, Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, says  the party is not responsible for failure of other parties to field candidates for the 2025 council poll in the state.

Rufai in an interview with NAN at the Ward D Poling Unit 042, on Saturday, said  the  APC  focused much on its campaign and grassroots mobilisation rather than what is happening in other parties.

“The allegation that APC is distabilising other political parties is a fallacy. For instance, APC lost the last presidential election in Lagos state to the  Labour Party and no one accused it of distabilsation.

“Even the Labour Party 2023 governorship candidate is still granting interviews. Did the APC try to stop him? APC will  not be  responsible if other parties perform poorly or otherwise in this  election,” he said.

Rufai further said  that failures of other parties  to field candidates for the local government areas and LCDAs election due to their lack of internal democracy should not be laid at the doorstep of APC.

“We are not responsible for their political failures after all, their problem is not APC’s concern.

“Those parties should have come out to test their popularity in this election which is basically grassroots based, this is where politics starts  and not from the top.

“APC will not put the houses of other parties in order, they have to do that by themselves.

“If our own house in APC is tidy, it is because we have done something differently and if they lack the capacity to put their houses in order, they should join us,” he said.

Rufai added that APC is ready to offer assistance in teaching other parties  internal democracy and how it could be achieved.

“Our doors are open to  everyone and members of political parties having internal wranglings.”

Rufai also gave the local government election turnout a pass mark, saying  that the structure is much more different from  other major elections.

“From experience, the turnout of local government elections since 1999 had always been considered low which is not a new thing.

“Presidential election always attracts larger turnouts because people are mostly interested in who would become their President, and  also their governor.

“The electoral commissions   have a lot to do to encourage massive turn out in council polls.

“For this election, people do come to vote and head back to their houses, they don’t have time to supervise because it is local, this is because the people they want to vote in are already known to them,” he said.

Only APC and the PDP fielded candidates in chairmanship and councilorship positions for the Onigbongbo LCDA.

PVC remains proof of civic responsibility, not party loyalty- Desmond Elliott

The member representing Surulere 1 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Desmond Elliott, says the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) remains a proof of civic responsibility, rather than a measure of party loyalty.

Elliot said this shortly after casting his vote at Onitolo Nusery/ Primary School, Unit 009, in Surulere, Lagos, on Saturday.

The Lagos State Government is conducting elections for chairmanship and councillorship positions across all 20 local government areas and 37 local development council areas.

“PVC does not mean voting for my party. It means exercising your civic responsibility,” he said.

According to him, it’s unfair for individuals to seek government support without contributing to the democratic process through voting.

“You can’t sit at home and later come to seek help from people who others sacrificed to vote into power,” he said.

Elliot described the turnout of the election as slightly low but expressed optimism that more voters would show up as the day progressed.

The lawmaker noted that local government elections should attract more participation than presidential polls due to their direct impact on daily life.

“Development begins at the grassroots level. With powers and revenue now devolved to local governments, this election holds significant importance.

“The outcome of this election will have a direct impact on the lives of citizens, making it crucial for voters to exercise their franchise wisely and elect leaders who will prioritise their needs and drive development in their areas,” he said.

He advocated increased public discussion about the responsibilities of local governments, highlighting their critical role in primary healthcare, market management, and maintenance of inner roads.

The lawmaker commended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) for the orderly conduct of the election.

Voting materials and electoral officers arrived late at many polling units in Lagos during Saturday’s local government elections in the state.

The chairmanship and councillorship elections were billed to start at 8.00 a.m. across all the polling units.

However, the elections did not start at 8.00 a.m. in most polling units monitored by NAN. Electoral officers and voting materials began to arrive at many polling units after 8.30 a.m.

There were no signs of voting materials or arrival of electoral officers at Polling Units 030, 031, and 029 located at Unity Nursery and Primary School, Hostel Bus Stop, beside a Mobil filling station in the Egbe-Agodo area, as at 8.00 a.m.

Only an agent of the All Progressives Congress was seen waiting at one of the polling units.

Some voters, who came out early, left after observing no signs of commencement of elections.

At Polling Units 014 on Authority Avenue, 012 and 049, all located at Egbe-Agodo, the situation was the same.

Late arrival of electoral officers was also witnessed at the seven polling units at Agege.

Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) had announced that electoral materials and officers would be expected to arrive at polling units by 7.00 a.m.

A Presiding Officer at Agege, Mrs Abiola Choice, attributed her late arrival to her polling unit to late distribution of election materials.

She said: “Even after we got the materials from the registration area centre, there was no vehicle to convey us to polling units.”

Mr Cornelius Stephen, a 90-year-old voter, who spoke with NAN in Agege, expressed disappointment that the electoral officers did not keep to time.

“You can see that it is already 8.00 a.m., yet only security personnel are present here at Agege Primary School, Ward 3,” he said.

At Epe, Eredo and Ikosi-Ejirin, a heavy downpour in the early hours delayed arrival of electoral officers and materials. It also made many voters not to come out early. The rain began at about 5.35 a.m.

Mr Deji Agunrege, a residents of Epe, told NAN that the rain might  discourage especially the elderly and voters from distant places from coming out to vote.

At 8.48 a.m., electoral officers had yet to arrive at Polling Unit 021 located at Ohafia Junction, Ago Palace Way, Okota in Oshodi/Isolo Local Council Development Area.

Some residents were seen jogging and conversing in groups, while tricycle riders continued to ply the roads.

At Badagry, late arrival of electoral officers and election materials also characterised the elections at many polling units.

As of 8.48 a.m., electoral officials had yet to arrive at Polling Unit 020 located at Mowo Town Hall.

Festac Town in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area also recorded late arrival of electoral officers and elections materials.

The officers and materials had not arrived at polling units in Wards B2, C, K as at 9.15 a.m.

Pastor Emmanuel Okigwe, Secretary of the Labour Party at Ward C, told NAN that he was worried at the lateness.

“We are witnessing a lot of irregularities. Our party was unable to inspect the materials. Even at midnight, they still had not brought them,” he alleged.

A septuagenarian, Mr Akindare Adetifa, also expressed disappointment at the late arrival of electoral officers. He said that, in the past, elections always started early.

Electoral officers and materials were ready at some Egbe/Idimu area as at 9.00 a.m. but there were no voters.

Some of the polling units monitored by NAN are 042 at Modupe Shitta, 04 at Yusuf Olatunji, 05 at Olojo/Holmes, 027 at Banjo, and 016 on Lamina Street, all under Egbe/Idimu Ward 5.

A mix-up in addresses of some polling units caused a delay in commencement of voting at Egbe-Agodo.

At Polling Unit 051, Oguntoyibo, an electoral officer, who did not want to be named, told NAN that his team was unable to set up voting booths because its address was incorrect.

“We are not in the right location. The address we were given belongs to another polling unit, so we couldn’t set up as expected.

“We have called our supervisor. He is coming possibly with a bus to take us to our polling unit,” he said at about 9.00 a.m.

In many other areas, voting also started at 9.00 a.m.

In Polling Units 040, 042 at Palace Way and Polling 030, 031 and 029 at Unity Nursery and Primary School, as well as Polling Units 018, 019, and 027 located at Muslim College, all in Agodo Egbe, started voting around 9.00 a.m.

Voters were seen coming one after the other to cast their votes. After voting, most of them left.

On Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, voters waited for election materials and electoral officers in many polling units monitored by NAN.

As at 9.25 a.m., voters were still gathered at various polling units awaiting the arrival of the officers and materials.

Accreditation and voting eventually started at 8.50 a.m. and 9.10 a.m. in some locations.

Notably, polling units 002, 005, and 007 in Ward E, as well as units 011, 015 and 004 in Ward C, experienced significant delays.

Wards F, G, and A also witnessed delayed material distribution.

They also recorded low voter turnout as at the time of filing the report.

On the other hand, there was a strong turnout at units 008 and 009 in Ward D as well as in Wards B and I.

Speaking with NAN, Mr Olayiwola Sholagbade, a voter at Ward D, Unit 009, said: “We are still hopeful. Many are indoors watching as events unfold on television and radio.”

In Ikorodu, Mrs Folashade -Olabanji-Oba, Vice Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government Area, praised voters for  peaceful conduct.

Olabanji-Oba, also Chairman, Association of Vice Chairmen of Nigeria, voted at Polling Unit 01 at Isele. She urged eligible voters to come out en masse and vote.

At Polling Unit 119 at Mile 12, voting started at 8.10 a.m. while the exercise started at  Polling Unit 115 at 8.25 a.m.

Voting began at  Polling Unit 030 also at Mile 12 at 8.40 a.m. and took off at polling Unit 050 also at 8.51 a.m.

At Polling Unit 004, Opposite Adamson House, Ojogbe, electoral officers began arranging for voting material at 8:58 a.m.

LG election went on smoothly – Lagos CP

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, said the Saturday local government election was peaceful across the State.

Jimoh made the remark in Ikorodu while speaking with journalists during a security monitoring tour of police area commands and divisions.

He said the electoral process had been orderly, with no major incidents reported.

“The police deployment is in place, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission officials are also doing their work.

“People have been coming out to exercise their franchise and there has not been any disturbance of peace anywhere across the state.

“We want to encourage voters to come out and cast their votes, as there is still time before the statutory closing hour of 3 p.m.

“We will continue to maintain this level of deployment and ensure that the whole process is peaceful throughout, ” he said.

The commissioner said that the command had already deployed enough personnel to all the collation centres.

“We are going to have more personel on ground at the collation centres to ensure that there is adequate security during the collation and during announcement of result. We have done our deployment thoroughly and massively.

“We are equally going to be on ground because after the election, there will be celebrations and we will not want any disturbance of peace across the state. So far we are doing good and we are going to end well, ” the police boss said.

According to him, the command has deployed 16 gunboats that can put the enemy at bay and suppress any issue of uprising in the waterways.

“We deployed the combat boats to the rural and urban waterine areas to tackle any threats, ” he said.

An octogenarian, Mrs Kemi Rabiu has tasked incoming Local Government Area administrations in Lagos State on keeping to their campaign promises.

Rabiu gave the charge in an interview with NAN at Ijaiye/Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) where she went to cast her vote in the state’s council poll holding on Saturday.

She said that whoever emerged as winner must live up to the  expectations of the people.

“The local government areas in Nigeria now get their monies directly from the Federal Government, and so,  there is no reason why they should not perform.

Rabiu  said unlike in past council elections, the response of residents is encouraging.

According to her, although some residents  are skeptical about voting,  the candidates must ensure that election promises are kept to encourage more participation in future elections.

‘The councils are the nearest to the people and so, must ensure the people get dividends of democracy for renewed hope,” she added.

The Lagos council poll is holding simultaneously  in 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state.

LG poll: Edo electoral commission boss lauds LASIEC

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Mr Jonathan Aifuobhokan has commended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) for the arrangements put in place for  Saturday’s  Local Government election.

Aifuobhokhan spoke with newsmen  at LASIEC headquarters in Sabo-Yaba on Saturday. The Edo electoral commission boss with his team are  in Lagos to observe the election. Aifuobhokhan said LASIEC actually  prepared well and is ready for this election.

“With the programmes we have seen and the activities we have seen, everything is well- planned. We are already learning some things  and when it comes to the Edo local government election, we are going to replicate what is being done here.

“The level of  preparation is fine, things are going well. We will surely do what we have seen here in our state. We will even invite LASIEC  to tell us how they were able to get to this level for us to be able to improve on what they have done,” he said.

According to him, the election  has been peaceful so far.

“From where we came out from, we saw that everything was peaceful, we saw some kind of enthusiasm in terms of  voting.

“We believe everything will be peaceful till the end and there will not be any crisis. We don’t envisage any problem.”

LASIEC is conducting elections into the 20 Local Governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas(LCDAs) in the state.

The election is currently underway across the 57 council areas and 376 electoral wards in the state.

Lagos LG Poll: Community leader emphasises importance of participation

A community leader, Mr Abdulfatai Owoyelu, Oluwen of Fadare Town, Mile 12, has emphasised the importance of participating in the ongoing local government elections in Lagos State, to encourage residents to choose their leaders.

Owoyelu, who said this while casting his vote at Ward D Polling Unit 119, Mile 12, on Saturday, urged residents to come out and vote for their candidates, especially those they believe could bring about positive change.

According to him, choosing the right leaders who can manage resources effectively is paramount during this current economic challenges and other issues.

“The only way we can make the needed change is by coming out to vote. This involves choosing the right andidate who can bring about the needed positive change for everyone.

“We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines while others decide our fate. We must take control of our destiny and shape the future we want.

“This is our franchise and  we need to exercise it, a lot of people complain. Now, that they need to do the needful, they are no where to be found,” he said.

Owoyelu commended residents of the area for maintaining peace and calm in the community.

People were seen playing football on Alapere-Ogudu Eexpresway and adjoining areas.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, on Friday inaugurated two Local Government Election Appeal Tribunal panels ahead of the upcoming council polls.

The panels were inaugurated at the Ikeja High Court Conference Room, with sittings to hold in Lagos Island and Ikeja.

Justice Taofikat Oyinkan-Abdullahi (Rtd) will chair the Lagos Island Panel, alongside Magistrates Micheal Olubi, Olaitan Ajayi, Salamah Matepo and Hotepo Lazarus.

Justice Sherifah Solebo (Rtd) will lead the Ikeja Panel, which includes Magistrates Davies Rasak, Oluwatosin Fowowe-Erusiafe, Adepeju Odusanya, and Lynda Balogun.

In his remarks, Alogba urged tribunal members to carry out their duties with utmost integrity, fairness, and strict fidelity to the law.

He referenced the 2016 Amendment of the Lagos State Local Government Law, stressing adherence to statutory timelines for deciding election petitions.

“Any decision made outside the legal time frame is void and holds no legal weight. You must work strictly within the law, as your experience and integrity influenced your appointment to these tribunals,” Alogba said.

He encouraged them to uphold justice without fear or favour, and to resist bias, pressure or intimidation.

Also speaking, Lagos State Attorney General, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), described the task as a call to service in defence of democracy.

“This is more than legal duty; it is a moral obligation to the state and humanity,” Pedro told the panel members.

He said the panels must ensure the credibility of the electoral process, protecting it from being manipulated through the judicial system.

The panels are expected to begin sittings immediately after the conclusion of the local government elections.