By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
MUTED STREETS, idle polling booths, and impatient voters defined Saturday’s local government elections across Lagos State, as widespread apathy and operational setbacks marred a process intended to renew grassroots representation in Nigeria’s economic capital.
Fifteen political parties contested chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, and councillorship positions in 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
But despite the scale of the contest, electoral officials struggled to stir civic enthusiasm, with many polling units reporting dismal turnout and procedural delays even hours after voting was scheduled to commence at 9:00am.
At several polling stations in Surulere, Ikeja, and Ojodu, the silence of disengaged citizens was louder than any campaign chant. Only 24 voters out of 733 registered had participated by mid-afternoon at PU 18 in Ikate-Itire LCDA, reflecting just 3.5% turnout.
Meanwhile, at PU 085 near Shoprite in Ikeja, only five voters had shown up by 1:30pm. out of 62 on the register.
In stark contrast, some polling units reported relative order and moderate participation. At PU010 in Ojota LGA, over 200 out of 445 registered voters had cast their ballots before voting ended at 3:00pm.
However, observers noted that communication barriers hampered the process, with many voters unable to understand instructions due to language differences.
Electoral officials had to wait for interpreters to assist Hausa-speaking voters unfamiliar with English.
Political leaders attempted to rally confidence in the process. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu voted in Epe, describing the exercise as smooth and calling on citizens to fulfil their civic responsibility.
His deputy, Kadri Hamzat, also voted earlier in the day at Oke-Balogun in Epe. In Surulere, President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, arrived at PU 014 accompanied by security and aides, casting his vote just after noon.
That polling unit had recorded only 60 voters out of 669 by the time of his arrival.
Yet beyond public appearances by dignitaries, the realities on the ground painted a troubling picture of disengagement.
In many parts of Alimosho LGA, voters faced delays due to the absence of official registers.
At PU 009 in Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA, officials wrote down names manually as no accreditation list was available.
In Ojodu, frustrations peaked by midday as polling units 061 and 008 remained vacant of any LASIEC official presence.
Voters who arrived as early as 7:00am waited in vain, some eventually leaving in dismay.
“He registered here in Lagos and wanted to vote, but he left angrily when he saw there was no sign of election officials,” said one resident, recalling a voter who had travelled from Ogun State.
Elsewhere in Agboyi-Ketu, voting was delayed not by officials but by the absence of political party agents. At PU 002 and PU 008, the process was halted until more party representatives arrived.
Some LASIEC officers voiced concern that this lack of coordination undermined election credibility.
Despite these challenges, a few polling units such as PU 030 and PU 052 on Fadiya and Adisa Akintoye Streets respectively managed to conduct their operations with both APC and PDP agents present, albeit with sparse voter turnout.
This election marks the first local government vote since 2021, and while the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission confirmed the participation of 15 political parties, the public’s subdued response raises longstanding concerns about faith in grassroots democracy.
Observers cited a combination of poor logistics, late deployment of materials, missing registers, and delayed official presence as contributors to the lacklustre outcome.
By the official close of polls at 3:00pm, vote counting and sorting had commenced across the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs, with party agents, observers, and a few voters monitoring the process.
But for many Lagosians, Saturday’s exercise felt like an election in name only, quiet, unremarkable, and still waiting for a reason to believe.
