Residents of Mowo, Igborosun, and Ikoga communities in Badagry Local Government Area expressed frustration over the delayed arrival of electoral officials nearly two hours after the scheduled commencement of Lagos State’s local government elections on Saturday.
Voters who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria reported arriving as early as 7:30 am, only to find empty polling units without Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission officials or materials by 10:07 am. Many were forced to return home after prolonged waiting.
A disgruntled voter in Ikoga, Chief Samuel Amosu, said, “This is frustrating. I came here around 7:30 am expecting that voting will start by 8:00 am but unfortunately, we are still waiting for them. We don’t know if they are deliberately frustrating our efforts here in Ikoga. As you can see, there is no LASIEC official in any of the polling units as at 10:07 am.” He nevertheless encouraged voters not to abandon their civic duty despite the delays.
A resident of Mowo voting at Unit 19, Mrs. Motunrayo Avoseh, confirmed that LASIEC officials had promised imminent arrival when contacted by phone. Electoral officers finally began arriving around 10:07 am – two hours behind schedule.
The Presiding Officer for Polling Unit 06 in Ikoga, Mr. Toyon Emmanuel, attributed the delay to logistical challenges: “The situation was due to late arrival of voting materials at Badagry Local Government Area, where the materials were being distributed. We left the secretariat late, and the bad road also contributed to the delay.”
Despite the setbacks, security personnel including the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Federal Road Safety Corps were present to maintain order. NAN observed some voters returning to their polling units after the belated arrival of officials.
The elections are being conducted across Lagos State’s 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, with the delays in Badagry raising concerns about electoral efficiency in the coastal region.
