Lagos LG poll: First vote cast in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA amid delay

 

Banjoko Ibidunni became the first person to cast her vote at Ward D, Orile, in the Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of Kosofe LGA, Lagos State, at exactly 10:28 a.m. on Saturday, well over two hours after voting was expected to begin.

 

“I call on all youths to come out. We cannot sit back at home and complain. Let’s exercise our civic rights,” she said in an interview with Punch Online.

 

Our correspondent observed that some voters only began arriving at the polling unit around 9:00 a.m., after struggling to locate it.

 

One of them said they had to call the ward councillor for directions due to the absence of signage or officials to guide them.

 

“I had to call the councillor before we could even find the polling unit,” a resident said.

Ibidunni, who had been waiting patiently for hours, finally cast her vote without incident. Electoral officers arrived late, contributing to the delayed commencement of voting.

 

An electoral officer at the unit told The PUNCH that they were expecting 77 registered voters at the polling unit, but only four had shown up as of 10:35 a.m., when our correspondent left the scene. There was no queue at the unit at the time.

 

Although the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission had assured voters of early starts across all 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, late deployment of officials and materials was reported in multiple locations.

 

The local government elections are expected to produce chairmen and councillors who will lead grassroots governance efforts for the next term. However, low voter turnout, logistical delays, and general apathy have been recurring issues across the state.

 

Voting was still ongoing at Ward D as of the time this report was filed.