Eligible voters in Lagos State are exercising their franchise today as millions of Lagosians are already queuing to vote for those that will administer the 57 Local Government Areas and Development Council across the state.
Just yesterday, Friday, July 23, 2021, a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, refused requests by 11 political parties to stop the LG polls that will elect the 57 LG Chairmen and several Councilors.
Justice Akintayo Aluko made the decision in a ruling delivered Friday in Suit No FHC/L/CS/596/2021, filed by the Alliance of Social Democrats and 10 other political parties against the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) and Lagos State Government.
Justice Aluko in the ruling upheld the submission of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN on behalf of the government.
However, in today’s exercise, voting has started in some polling booths as thousands of voters have already gone to their polling units to cast their votes despite pockets of harassment by hoodlums who tried to hijack some ballot papers in some wards.
Nonetheless, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) personnel and security agents have arrived at polling stations 07, 08 and 09, Ward E Oyewole primary school in Orile Agege LCDA at past 7am and have setup to begin accreditation and voting simultaneously.
In some of the polling booths, voters are still being awaited. Our Reporter on ground said voters’ apathy is eminent. Many believe that the exercise will be a one party show and according to them, “there is no need to show presence in the polling booths and in an election whose winners have already been decided”.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
