Senator Oluremi Tinubu has commended the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) and security operatives for conducting peaceful local government elections in Lagos State.
Tinubu spoke with reporters, after casting her vote at Polling Unit 034, Bourdilon Road, Ikoyi.
The senator from Lagos Central District, who defied the rain to perform her civic duty, expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would record landslide victory across the state.
According to her, the party’s victory was evident, given the record breaking performance of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
She said: “I think LASIEC has done excellently well in ensuring that there is a peacful and orderly election. I applaud them and security agencies because everything is going on well.”
On the mix up of ballot papers and voter registers at various polling units, Tinubu attributed the challenge to anxiety, commending the umpire for speedily correcting the odds.
She said: “People do make mistakes. The mix up could be blamed on anxiety because the tension has been a bit high these past few days. People are quite excited. We thank God everything is in order.
“As you can see, I don’t even have an umbrella. We are voting for ourselves and not the candidate because we have to vote for a party which is working to ensure we have stability in the nation.
“Although it is raining, I appeal to people to come out and vote. If they do not vote, they should not complain that those elected are not doing anything.
“This is the time to show solidarity and we believe this government is working. It is not for you but for generations unborn in order to put things in place. We won’t be doing this if we do not believe in this government and the system.
“In Lagos, we have set the standard of performance and so, those elected would not have any other choice than to work.”
Similarly, a member of the State House of Assembly, Gbolahan Yishawu, who voted at polling unit 003, situated at St. Georges’ Primary School, Falomo, said he was confident the APC would win with wife margin.
Noting that the rain affected the turnout of voters, Yishawu applauded those who came out with umbrellas to vote.
He said: “The rain has not helped, because it started very early and heavy in this area. It discouraged a lot of people but some people still came out despite the weather. We hope that before the 3pm deadline for conclusion of voting, more people would come out.
“It is God who gives and takes power. By his grace, I am confident that we will win this election with wide margin. My confidence is not just because we feel or hope but because of the performance of the State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode.
“Our local government election is a reflection of what the state government is doing and we know Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has performed exceptionally well. The Chairmen are to replicate what the state government is doing.”
Save for polling unit 025, Ajeneya/Ojo in Ikoyi/Obalende which had impressive turnout of voters, The Nation observed that there was apathy within Ikoyi and environs.
The leader of the Hausa Community at Ikoyi/Obalende Alhaji Mohammed said they were excited to come out and vote because they have been getting dividends of democracy.
Other polling units within the vicinity recorded as low as 10 voters at the time of visit (12am), while some others had about 50 voters.
Aside affecting voter turnout, The Nation observed that the rain also obstructed the commencement time for the exercise as most LASIEC officials did not set up their tables till about 9am.
It was also observed that most of the pplling units situated at places without shelter, were not provided canopies to shield them from the weather.
At a point, residents went round with umbrellas at Ikoyi/Obalende to invite others from their homes to exercise their franchise.
This action, according to Nurudeen Olowokowo, was to assist those who might not have umbrellas but are interested in voting.
