INEC moves polling on Lagos Island to Sunday

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the governorship and house of assembly elections in 10 polling units in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) around the Lekki area of Lagos state.

This announcement was made by Segun Agbaje,  INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, in Lagos. He said elections in the affected polling units, including PU 032,033, 119 -124, will now hold by 08:30 am on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Tunde Doherty, whose polling unit is in the VGC scolded INEC for poor arrangement, saying the situation is “unfortunate”.

However, to him, corps members posted as ad hoc employees to these polling stations were reluctant to approach the VGC estate as they claimed they were held captive during the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25.

Agbaje confirmed to newsmen that the commission’s ad hoc workers set up voting materials in front of the estate on Saturday, but the estate’s occupants believed that thugs might disturb the procedure, so they did not feel secure and did not vote.

Read also: Lagos governorship election: Gbadebo loses polling unit to Sanwo-Olu

“We have eight voting units here with 6,024 registered voters, of whom 5,624 have their PVCs,” he said, adding that two further polling units near the estate’s main gate were also affected. “Eight inside (the estate) and two outside,” he said.

“Following appropriate consultation and further instruction from the national headquarters, we are to remobilize here by 8:30 a.m. on Sunday (to conduct the polls).

“We will reassemble at this location at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday,”

Agbaje said the chairman of the security committee of the estate had assured the commission of the safety of corps members and INEC staff as well as the safety of voters.