Kunle Adelabu & Mariam Akinloye
-Gbadamosi wins ward, area
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Lagos East Senatorial bye – election and former Group Managing Director, Polaris Bank PLC, Mr Adetokunbo Mikhail Abiru, proved his emergence as a political force in Ikorodu and Lagos State politics with a clear electoral victory over his major opponent, Mr Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, the candidate of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the Saturday, December 5 election.
Abiru emerged as the Senator – elect with 19, 204, while Gbadamosi garnered 3,766 votes.
Other parties that took part in the Senatorial bye – election across the 19 Wards in Ikorodu Local Government recorded the following results:
AA – 18
AAC – 84
ADC: 107
ADP – 167
APM – 31
LP -09
NNPP – 11
NRM – 31
SDP – 06
YPP – 17.
The election witnessed conspicuous voters’ apathy many of the electorate stayed back home despite the intense campaigns by the candidates, particularly those of the APC and PDP.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived polling units across Ikorodu division early while accreditation and voting commenced around 8.00am in most wards in Ikorodu Local Government, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area and Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area, covered by our reporters.
Residents also stayed off the road as directed by the Nigerian Police authority, while there was adequate security presence at every polling unit visited by our reporter.
The Ayanbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, who voted at 11. 43am at Isele 1 polling unit 018 (junction of Etunrenren/Kasali Onilere) where there were 476 registered voters, commended the exercise and described it as peaceful after he had toured some polling units nearby.
“The two (leading) candidates are my children and I thank everybody for coming out to cast their votes. I appreciate you all for exercising your civic rights. God will grant us all our wishes”, the royal father said.
“We have done the needful and l knows that at the end of the day, the best candidate will emerge.
“I have been to three polling booths before coming here and everything has been going on well according to plans. When I got here, I saw that everybody was orderly in exercising their civic rights. I appreciate everybody for exercising their civic right and all the people at the polling booth (INEC officials) attended to me very well”, Oba Shotobi said while commending the exercise.
The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, cast his vote at polling unit 011 (Miliky Close, Kosibinu Orepekan, Surulere Estate), Igbogbo.
While speaking with THE IMPACT, the monarch said:
“We encouraged our people to come out and exercise their civic rights when we noticed that there was voters’ apathy.
“So far, so good, at my polling booth and others that are close to the palace which I had visited, it has been good news all through. There is no hiccup.
“Generally, you will notice that our people are ready to continue to maintain good leadership that we have through their peaceful conducts and orderliness”, Adeboruwa said.
Asipa Kaoli Olatunji Olusanya, Vice Chairman, APC Lagos East Senatorial District, commended the peaceful conduct of the election and added that the exercise will reveal the people’s will.
The political leader voted at 9.55am at polling booth 006 (within Owode Ilaje in Ibeshe area).
“We have ensured that the community, especially the youths in this area whom we have been interacting with, provided necessary security. In addition to that, we also have about four uniform policemen here to provide security for the two polling booths around.
“My expectation is that the will of the people will prevail. Don’t let me forecast or predict the outcome because if l do, they will think I am being biased towards my candidate. Let me say at the end of the day, the will of the people will prevail”, Asipa Kaoli said.
Prince Adesegun Olushola Ogunlewe, member of the Governing Council, Lagos State Polytechnic, and former Head of Service, Lagos State, speaking with our reporter, said that the election was peaceful.
“I observed low turnout but so far, the election has been peaceful and things are going very well. There is also adequate security coverage in all the pooling units.
“I expect that the party with the best and largest followers will carry the day”, Prince Ogunlewe said.
The former Head of Service voted at polling unit 005 (Adeboruwa bus stop) in Igbogbo.
The representative of the Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and the Chairman, House Committee on Defense, Hon Babajimi Benson, also stated that the exercise was peaceful and orderly.
Hon. Benson, who arrived at the polling unit 001 located at Molatori palace at 9.20am, commended INEC staff and electorate for adhering strictly with the COVID – 19 protocols.
“Everywhere is orderly. I can see the elderly people waiting to exercise their civic rights. Also, the policemen and INEC officials have been doing well. You can see the electorates are on the queue.
“I can also see that the COVID – 19 protocols have been adhered to strictly”.
The lawmaker charged voters to cast their votes for the right candidate.
“There are a lot of parties printed on the bye – election ballot paper, I pray that voters know who their choice candidate is and vote for such”, he said.
Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, the Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, addressing newsmen at the polling booth 043 (Aga Ijomu), said:
“By the conduct, the election is very peaceful. Peaceful on the side of the electorate that have turned out in a very encouraging way to cast their votes. It is also okay regarding adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.
“INEC officials have been very efficient at my centre, they arrived on time and are very organized. They applied sanitiser on the voters and prevented them from crowding together. That was very encouraging.
“There was no unnecessary argument. Everything has been peaceful and cordial. The INEC officials and the electorate have done wonderfully well”, he commended.
Hon. Agunbiade, who is representing the Ikorodu Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, voted at 8.20am and at his polling booth, APC scored 54 votes to PDP’s 7 votes.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri – Erewa, also speaking with newsmen after casting her vote with her husband at the polling unit 007 (Cele 1) at Ayangbure/Isikalu Street in Ikorodu, where there were over 1000 registered voters, said:
“As expected, it is not as high as the general elections. It’s been peaceful in Ikorodu with people walking in and out of the polling units to exercise their rights and we hope for the best.
“There are few cases of malfunctioning machines which were eventually sorted out. It took me a while to cast my vote and I was thinking that maybe something is wrong with my fingers (she said jokingly).
“Every election is important. This is a bye – election for Lagos East Senatorial district. As we move on, there has to be more voters’ awareness. Nigerians must be encouraged to register to vote and I am hoping that INEC will make it a continuous process so that you can walk in at any point in time to collect your voters’ card and get prepared for the next election”, she said.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Bisola Olusanya, also commenting on the exercise, said:
“In this area, they started voting early and l am very happy because it’s been peaceful so far. Looking at the place, you can see that it’s calm and the people are also very happy to vote. That is what we are expecting.
“The expectation is that obviously, the APC candidate will win the election well. If not for anything, the credibility of the person we are speaking about, as a former banker, former Commissioner and also, in terms of his leadership capability, should give the edge”, she said.
Hon. Adeola Banjo, Chairman, Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area, who spoke with THE IMPACT at the Collation centre, also commended the election and said that his party, APC, will win the election.
“We thank God because we are not disappointed. Our great party, APC, has done well and we are expecting to win. The low – turnout is associated with bye – elections.
“It is normal to expect some challenges. Some of the polling units experienced challenges with their card readers but within two hours, the problem was resolved.
“We have been compiling the results from the wards and we already have about 17 wards out of the 19 in Ikorodu. We have won the election going by the reports from our agents”, he said.
Meanwhile, the PDP Senatorial candidate, Mr Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, addressing newsmen at his poling unit (014) located at Allison/Ogunsanya Street junction, said:
“I cannot say at this stage whether it is going this way or that way but I have to say I am very apprehensive given the history of INEC and their way of conducting elections. You can see that the election did not start on time.
“It’s supposed to start by 8:00am, but we are starting at 9:22am
“Clearly, there is not enough voters’ education which is why most people are not coming out here to vote. But so far, it seems to be a little calm. I heard that there are some disturbances and we know where that usually comes from. These are the things we need to look at and prevent them in our democracy. We need to end violence and thuggery”, he stated.
Gbadamosi defeated the APC candidate in his Ward scoring 22 votes to that of the APC candidate who polled 12 votes.
The PDP candidate also won at the polling booth 013 which is beside his own unit with 13 votes to APC’s 7 votes.
Hon. Olanrewaju Sunmi Odesanya, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and former member of the Assembly’s Commission, commended INEC for the conduct of the exercise.
“Let me commend the INEC officials. They came in time with their relevant apparatus. We equally commend the electorate. We commend them in the sense that they are so peaceful with their conducts. I have been to some polling units and it has been peaceful and the outcome of the exercise will be very transparent”, he said.
He said that there was apathy on the part of the electorate but added that the election was transparent.
Pastor Ola Aiyetoba, former APC Chairman in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, also commended the exercise as peaceful.
Olusegun Adeshola Hassan, a voter in Ikorodu, speaking with THE IMPACT, said that the turnout was low but stated that the election was peaceful and orderly.
Mr Akanmu Lawrence, a member of the PDP, in his own remarks, said:
“My observation regarding the election, especially in my area, is that there was a great apathy. People did not turn up to cast their votes which is a reaction to the failure of our politicians. People are tired and are also complaining that they have been casting votes without benefiting anything good from the elections.
He scored INEC low in the area of publicity and sensitization of people for the election.
While affirming that the election was peaceful, Mr Lawrence stated that his party, PDP scored 14 votes, while APC got 13 at the polling booth 007 where APC has always won.
Alhaji Amodu Oyekunle, speaking with our reporter at the polling unit 013 (Isele 1), complained that he was disenfranchised because the card reader failed to read his card.
“I have the right to vote for the candidate of my choice but I have been disenfranchised because the machine cannot read my voter’s card.
“I was told by the INEC officials that I cannot vote which is unacceptable to me”, he protested.
The presiding officer at the unit, while reacting to Alhaji Oyekunle’s protest, said that his case is beyond her control because the order given to them was that anyone whose voters’ card cannot be assessed by the machine cannot vote.
