Kunle ADELABU
-Elections not credible – AAC Senatorial candidate, ADP Governorship candidate
The Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade about casting his vote during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Ikorodu
The Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, the Chairman of National Diaspora Commission and the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, and others have described the Presidential/National Assembly elections in Ikorodu as credible, free and fair.
They spoke with THE IMPACT at different polling units in Ikorodu during the exercise on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Also attested to the credibility of the process were the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Shotobi, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Semiudeen Kasali and the Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area, Comrade Sesan Daini.
Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, while assessing the elections at polling unit 043, Ward A4, Oke Ota-Ona, Ikorodu, stated that people voted freely and fairly.
Chairman, National Diaspora Commission ans Senior special Assistant to the President, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa being accredited by an electoral official
“From what I have seen so far, INEC is living up to its promise that the election will be free and fair and orderly. If election is orderly and procedures are followed, then, everything will fall in place; people will vote and their votes will be counted and announced.
“With the way things are in this booth, I can say that the poll is 100% free and fair. Here, one-man-one-vote counts.
“So far across the division, the information that we have been getting is that the election has been peaceful, electoral officers turned up on time and people comported themselves with the guidelines. We have no doubt that throughout Ikorodu, the election has been peaceful so far”.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, though acknowledged that the exercise started late, described it as orderly.
His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu speaking to journalists after voting at Lowa in Ikorodu
She voted at 10.15am at polling booth 007A in Isele 1 in Ikorodu Local Government.
“It is important that we have a free and fair election and do the right thing because this is our future, this is our destiny, vote for your choice,” she said.
Speaking about her experience during the voting processes, she said that it was orderly, even though it started one hour and half late.
She also stated that the large number of the political parties jostling for positions also complicated the process.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, described the turnout as commendable and the voting process as peaceful and orderly.
He voted at 12.15pm at Ward Isele 1, polling unit 013 located at Allison/Ogunsanya Streets, Ikorodu.
Oba Semiudeen Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo at a polling unit in Igbogbo
“It’s been peaceful with people lining up in an orderly way to exercise their voting rights. INEC officials are punctual and doing their work accordingly.
“The turnout is good and peaceful. The voting process now is that you will vote immediately after you are accredited unlike in the previous elections where you would accredit and come back to vote. With the new process, you may not see much people here because they are returning home as soon as they voted.
“From what that I have seen, the poll is free and fair. People were provided with cubicle to freely exercise their voting rights and drop the ballot papers into the ballot boxes. This is the essence of democracy and the election is free and fair.
The Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, in his own assessment, also stated that the poll is free and free.
“People have been on the line to cast their votes since morning and they are still here. There are still more people that are still coming in. The turnout is impressive and the process is peaceful and orderly.
“The election is free and fair so far in my own assessment “.
Also, Oba Semiudeen Kasali, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, commended the people and INEC officials for the peaceful conduct of the elections and added that he’s hoping for a peaceful outcome.
The monarch voted at polling unit 011 in Igbogbo at 10.43a.m
“My observation is that the process is good so far. The turnout has been very good and the INEC officers have been doing their work accordingly. There is no case of ineffectiveness of their equipment and unavailability of documents. We are hoping for the best at the end of the exercise”.
Comrade Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area and the Director of the Media, Sanwoolu Campaign Group, in his own reaction, stated that :
“So far, the process has been peaceful and well managed by the INEC officials.
“What is happening is a demonstration of electoral value. What is happening here is that this area used to be under the control of a particular party before but now, majority of the people have decamped into another party. What is happening here is the manifestation of the will of the people. This has never happened here in Igbogbo before but I can assure you that it’s going to be different as from today.
“My expectations are as good as congratulating all the APC candidates in Ikorodu, Lagos and Nigeria”.
Meanwhile, Mr Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, the ADP Governorship candidate who took the INEC officials to task, stated that the elections were not credible.
He condemned the lateness of INEC officials to voting centres and warned the public to be vigilant against election riggers who, according to him, have perfected the art of announcing concocted results where election failed to hold.
In the same vein, the AAC Lagos East Senatorial candidate, Rotarian Francis Sonubi, while speaking with THE IMPACT, alleged that INEC has been compromised and that the exercise is not acceptable to him.
“So far, I will say that INEC has been compromised. It will surprise you to hear that my party logo is not on the ballot papes for Lagos East Senatorial election which shows that the INEC has been compromised.
“Considering the guidelines that INEC gave us, what we have here is totally not acceptable to me. It is not a secret balloting here as the regulation stated. People are just making it an open ballot because they did not provide cubicle for them to cast their votes. People are being intimidated because those that are not supposed to see which party they are thumb printing for are having access to what they are doing. To me, the election is not acceptable and not well organized”.
