Several residents of Oshodi, Lagos State, have expressed frustration over the conduct of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) officials during the ongoing local government elections across the state.
A visit by SaharaReporters to at least 10 polling units in Oshodi, in Wards E1 and E2, revealed that the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) officials were nowhere to be found as of 11am, despite voters and party agents arriving as early as 7am.
At the affected polling units, residents and party agents were seen loitering around, waiting for the arrival of electoral officers to commence voting.
Security personnel were, however, observed patrolling the area in Hilux vehicles to maintain order.
One visibly agitated party agent told SaharaReporters: “We have been here since 7am waiting for LASIEC officials, but none of them has shown up. People are getting tired and might leave.”
SaharaReporters sighted some youths gathered at food and drink joints, while many others were seen playing football on the street.
A similar situation was observed in Ward A, Onigbogbo Local Council Development Are LCDA in Ikeja, where voter turnout was notably low, raising further concerns about the credibility and participation levels in the election.
The Lagos State local government election is being held to elect new leaders at the grassroots level across the 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.