Eniola Olayemi
Presidential and National Assembly elections witnessed a huge turnout of voters at Agege and Agbado Oke Odo local council development areas of Lagos State.
Our correspondents report that voting started at the polling unit 015A Ward C Orile Agege, Lagos at 9:15am. The turnout was impressive.
At polling unit 050 ward B 59/61 Orile Agege, voting materials arrived late while voting began at 10:15am.
At polling unit 48 ward 01 Isale Oja/ Idi Mangoro where Accord candidate Alhaji Jubreel Abdulkareem for Lagos State House of Assembly constituency 01 voted, people turned out in large numbers
The candidate, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the election was conducted at ward 03 at Olusanya Street.
“l am happy with the conduct of the electorate at my ward. They were peaceful despite the absence of security operatives. It baffles me that the card reader was not functioning at Ward 03 Olusanya where we have the largest constituency of Arewas while in some areas there were no presence of lNEC officials,” he said.
At polling unit 24 ward B Olurinde Orile Agege where Dr. Babatunde Samuel Adejare is vying for the Federal House of Representatives, the candidate expressed his delight at the peaceful nature of the poll. “I am delighted by the scores of people who came out to vote we hope it continues like this”.
At polling unit 005, ward 11, at the African Primary school, along Yeye/Command road, behind Command Secondary school, Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, INEC officials arrived at about 9am. Voters had arrived as early as 7am. At 9.30 am, the Presiding Officer of the polling unit, announced that voting would soon begin.
He read out rules and regulations guiding the elections and appealed to them to be peaceful.
He also informed the electorate that anyone whose card was not recognised by the card reader but whose name appeared on the list would be allowed to vote.
He said whoever could not find his or her name on the list should leave the unit and quickly go in search of his polling unit.
Accreditation and voting started at about 9.45am.
At polling unit 003, ward M2, in front of the Command Secondary School. Turnout was also impressive. One of the party agents, representing APC, Mr Muniru Alabidun said he arrived at the unit by 7am, and that INEC officials arrived 8.30am.
Representatives of parties, including APC Mr. Alabidun, expressed satisfaction with the process so far and conduct of the electorate who were seen queuing to vote peacefully.
At polling unit 001, beside Nigerian Army Barrack, Dog centre, voting had not commenced as at 9.40 when The Premier News got to the unit. There was a large turnout of voters who were becoming impatient with the slow process and the delay. They were being addressed and appealed to by Pharmacist (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbule Yussuf, Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth and Creation and Employment.
She appealed to them to be patient as, according to her, voting would soon commence.
She also spoke to The Premier News: ”I am here to perform my civic responsibility by voting as a responsible citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Despite the little delay, she commended in INEC for a job well done. According to her, everything was already set, and that voting proper would soon commence. She also commended the security arrangement of INEC.
At unit 044, at the Ipaja church roundabout, voting started as scheduled by 8am. A woman who led the crowd, Mrs Adenike Gbenjo said “Please, help us to inform the INEC leadership that they should keep this up in future elections”.
