Eligible voters across several local governments (LGs) and local council development areas (LCDAs) of Lagos State said their apathy toward voting in the ongoing council polls in Lagos State was born out of their disappointment with some elected office holders in the state.
Elections is holding into 57 chairmanship seats and 277 councilorship seats in local government areas and LCDAs across the state.
The exercise is, however, experiencing a slow start and voter apathy across the state.
Several residents who spoke to BusinessDay, said they have no confidence in the electoral process in the state while lamenting that some political office holders at the council areas had failed to fulfill their campaign promises, hence their decision to abstain from voting.
Some residents in Oshodi/Isolo and Ikotun/Igando LCDA’s lamented that the local government should be the closest to the people but rather the council chairmen were only there for their selfish interest and had abandoned the local communities.
Micheal Olayemi, a resident of Ayelagun ward, in Ejigbo LCDA, said their apathy toward voting in the council election was because of the alleged failure of the incumbent chairman who had not executed any project in the area since he assumed office.
“I would not vote, don’t even borther to convince me, what did the man do; after spending four years in office look at this road we can’t pass here during the rain.
“If you came here last week you would not pass this road and the chairman’s office is not far from here. So, what is the point and my vote may not even count”, he said.
Taiwo Lawal, another resident in Ikotun, said she was simply not interested in the election because there was no evidence of governance at the grassroots where she resides.
“What are we voting for? I can’t vote because even if I vote it would not make any difference,” Lawal said.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Taiwo Kuye has lamented that card readers were not functioning in several wards in his Local government in Surulere.
Kuye, a former caretaker committee member SouthWest of PDP, stated this in an interview with journalists.
Kuye noted that he went round several polling units in his wards in Surulere and discovered that most polling units had no result sheet, while the card readers where not functioning.
“Lagosians are tired of APC that is why they don’t want to vote. I went round and there were no card readers in several places, where they were they were not working, no result sheet. You would see on Monday they would go round and say the people have voted for them. Who did?
Also a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikotun/Igando (LCDA)
Oseni Ahmed, has said that there was no problem or disagreements over his candidacy for the election.
In an interview with Journalists after casting his vote, Oseni said there had been peace and reconciliation meeting in the council among leaders where his candidacy was further ratified, while the other camp was asked to produce the vice chairman which they had done.
Oseni said the election had been peaceful
In the council even though with low turnout but expressed the optimism that he would emerge victorious.
“The election here went well though with low turnout, but my candidacy issue had been resolved and the other camp was asked to produce the vice chairman which they did,” Oseni said.
