Banjoko Ibidunni was the first to cast her vote at Ward D, Orile, in the Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of Kosofe LGA, Lagos State. She voted at exactly 10:28 a.m. on Saturday — more than two hours after the scheduled start time.
“I call on all youths to come out. We cannot sit back at home and complain. Let’s exercise our civic rights,” she said in an interview.
According to report, some voters only started arriving at the polling unit around 9:00 a.m., after having difficulty finding the location.
One voter mentioned they had to contact the ward councillor for directions, as there were no signs or officials available to assist them.
“I had to call the councillor before we could even find the polling unit,” a resident said.
Ibidunni, who had waited patiently for several hours, eventually cast her vote without any issues. The late arrival of electoral officers contributed to the delayed start of voting.
An electoral officer at the unit mentioned that out of 77 registered voters expected, only four had turned up as of 10:35 a.m. At that time, there was no queue at the polling unit.
Despite assurances from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission of early starts across all 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, several locations experienced delays due to the late arrival of officials and voting materials.
The local government elections are intended to elect chairmen and councillors who will steer grassroots governance for the upcoming term. However, low voter turnout, logistical challenges, and widespread voter apathy have continued to affect the process across the state.
As of the time this report was filed, voting was still in progress at Ward D.
