Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State voted at his polling unit 019, ward 09, Ikoyi on Saturday, saying the Local Government poll in the state has been peaceful so far.

The governor arrived his polling unit with his wife, Ibijoke around 11:03am and voted few minutes later.
He said reports so far indicated that the poll had been peaceful, but decried low turnout at the poll.

Sanwo-Olu added that that the poll had been going on smoothly despite the challenges encountered, with LASIEC officers coming late.
“We have noticed four polling booths around this area, I will not say it is crowded, but things are going on smoothly.
”Report gotten is that things are going on smoothly except for few delays of officers coming out late,” he said, saying he hoped people would turnout massively.

Sanwo-Olu said the beauty of democracy was for people to express themselves openly through the ballot box.
He stressed the need for more advocacy to educate the people on the need to always exercise their rights by voting.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat charged citizens to always be part of the electoral process.

Hamzat said this after casting his vote at Polling Unit 02, Ward D Oke Balogun, Epe.
He said citizens should always participate in the electoral process by making sure that they vote the right people into political offices at every election.

The deputy governor further noted that it was not right for people to complain about those that govern them when they fail to come out and vote in the candidates of their choice into various political posts during elections.
“Come out and vote. Don’t stay back and start complaining, be part of the process. If you are not part of the processes, you don’t have the moral right to complain, come out and vote for the people you want”, he said.
Hamzat who voted at exactly 10:20 am, while commending the peaceful conduct of the election, advised the people to shun any form of violence and other anti-social behaviours as there is no need for such.
Speaking further, he called on prospective winners in the elections to keep to their campaign promises and work for the development of the state.

He also gave the assurance that those contesting on the platform of APC will live up to the promises they had made to the people during the campaign by doing a periodic review of their performances.

In his words, “the party expects the candidates to keep to the guidelines of the party, as there is a system of evaluation in place.”
“Though local governments are different and each of them will be focusing on different things, they must focus on certain things and they will be evaluated on a quarterly basis,” he added.
Having gone round some polling units in Epe town, the Deputy Governor said he was impressed by the smooth conduct of the election so far, as the card readers were working well and the voters were conducting themselves peacefully.
Hamzat noted further that the election process was peaceful and had improved, saying “we are learning, we are getting better and that is what we expect”.
Low voter turnout characterised the Local council election holding in Ikorodu, although voting was peaceful.
Among places surveyed were Eruwen Polling unit in Ikorodu North, Ikorodu Grammar School polling Unit, Junction Of Awolowo Road/Ireshe Rd., Ota-Ona Polling unit, Opposite Ayangburen Road and Arowolo-Eluku street polling unit.

One widespread feature of all the units was low voters turnout.
Across those polling units, fewer than 15 people were waiting to be accredited to cast their vote.
Some Lagos residents on Saturday, said they didn’t vote in the council election because they were disappointed with some elected officeholders.
Some residents of Jakande Estate, Oke-Afa Ward, stressed that their apathy towards voting in the ongoing council polls in Lagos State was borne out of their disappointment with some elected officeholders in the area.
They said this while reacting to the low turnout experienced in the ongoing elections into the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Lagos Council Development Areas(LCDAs) in Lagos State on Saturday.
Some of the residents said some political office holders had failed to fulfil their campaign promises, hence their decision to abstain from voting on Saturday.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) said the turnout of voters in Saturday’s local government election in the state was satisfactory.
Retired Justice Ayotunde Phillips, LASIEC Chairman, said this while briefing newsmen on Saturday after touring some polling units in Lagos Mainland Local Government and Yaba Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

The response is very low, there is still a lot of voter apathy. However, in the Yaba area, it was explained to me that a lot of people are new residents and they have not registered in their new residence, that was why they could not vote.
“Maybe when INEC updates the voter register, we will have a better response. Very few of the polling units opened at 8 a.m. as they were supposed to. Most of them opened between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., which I have noted.
“A lot of administrative hiccups here and there. Largely, at least, we are here now, and people, who want to vote, are voting.
“So far, it is satisfactory, it is not excellent or good, but it is satisfactory,” Phillips said.
The chairman said voting would not be extended beyond 3 p.m. as scheduled, “despite the apathy”.
Phillips said the commission had not done enough on voter sensitisation, saying “obviously, we need to do more.”
On hitches, Phillips said that the commission had a situation room in LASIEC which addressed problems as they occur.
The election into the 20 LGCs and 37 LCDAs of the state, commenced at 8 a.m. and is expected to end at 3 p.m.
Voter apathy and malfunctioning of Smart Card Readers marred the poll in many polling units earlier in the day.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has decried the low turnout of voters during Saturday’s local council election in Lagos State.
Gbajabiamila made the observation after casting his vote at his polling unit located at Elizabeth Fowler Primary School, Ward 014 on Mercy Eneli street, Surulere.
“I am not going to say I am impressed but the turnout is low, but what is more important is the peaceful nature of the election.
“From what I have seen so far, there is no violence and people are conducting themselves orderly but would have wanted a larger turnout.
“I am very disappointed to hear that the card reader has technical issues which is like we are not there yet, but almost there.
“INEC is charged with the responsibility of electoral features, while NCC is charged with the responsibility of making sure our technology is improved with proper infrastructure,” Gbajabiamila
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, moved round the state, with his convoy of vehicles, to monitor the Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Authorities’ elections in Lagos State.

The Police boss, who was accompanied by senior officers and some members of the press, visited the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission Office at Sabo Yaba, Maryland, Ikotun, Igando, Iyana Ipaja, Mushin, Isolo, Agbotikuyo and Mulero in Agege area and other places within the State.

The Commissioner of Police, in furtherance of the command’s spirited efforts and readiness to have free, fair and credible elections and enforce the 6am to 8pm restriction of movement order, personally supervised checking of some vehicles that were moving during the election period while some were outrightly impounded and handed over to the Taskforce for possible prosecution as soon as possible.

He also doused tension in some wards at Mulero Area of Agege and some other areas of Lagos State where some complaints of possible attacks on LASIEC officials and electoral materials were received during the elections.
Odumosu however put the police and other security operatives on alert to provide adequate security for collation and announcement of results. He noted that security agencies must be prepared for any post election reactions across the state.
The Commissioner of Police also commended the high level of decorum, maturity and orderliness exhibited by residents of Lagos State, especially the electorates and political actors during the conduct of the elections as no single violent crisis was recorded during the election.
In the same vein, the Commissioner of Police has formed a Special Electoral Offences Committee at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba-Lagos, to collate and investigate electoral offences recorded during the Local Government Councils and LCDAs elections in the state.