Leo Nchekwube is the community development association chairman of Iyan Isashi community in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. He was a voter at Ward 040 opposite Deborah Hotel in the area.
Nchekwube told BusinessDay at his Polling Unit that the large turnout of voters recorded there was because people were angry and hungry as a result of the bad governance by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“We are reacting to the hash economic condition in the country; people are not only angry, but also hungry. This late hour policy by the federal government which has made every Nigerian poor is the worst to happen to us as citizens of this country,” he said.
“The Turnout of voters here is encouraging; we had not had it like this before. People came out like this because they can’t wait to change this government that has caused them so much pain. We will be here until the last man here casts his vote,” he said, adding that since INEC officials came late, they expect them to extend voting period by at least two hours.
Okey Ezike, an industrialist, was also a voter at this Polling Unit. He was worried that the INEC officials came very late which delayed both accreditation and voting.
“They kept us waiting and we must vote today. That’s my concern. It is my expectation that people may get tired and get restless. That too is a source of worry. If at the end of the day things work out well, we will all be fine and I pray it does,” he said.
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Beyond the late arrival of INEC officials and security officers as recorded in Ward 040 Iyan Isashi, and Wards 001 and 002 in Ketu-Ijanikin, everything voting went on smoothly and voters were orderly in all the polling units covered by this reporter.
The BVAS was working in all the polling units. However, at Ward 003 International Affairs Ijanikin along Lagos-Badagry Expressway, there voters complained of two things. One was the omission of the Labour Party logo on the Senate Ballot Paper, and the other is insufficient ink for thumb-printing. The Labour Party agent, a lady who did not have a name tag and did not want to be named, told this reporter that their case was being attended to.
It was discovered in this area that Labour Party does not have much presence. Except for Ward 003 International Affairs, Ijanikin, the party did not have agents in all other poling units covered.
Equally worrying was the discovery that most of the voters in all the polling units covered were old men and women; only very few young people were spotted. A good number of them were sighted idling about or gathering in groups arguing, perhaps, about Arsenal and Manchester United or cash squeeze in the market.
