By Giwa SHILE
Voting eventually got underway in several polling units at Ogudu and Ojota in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos as officials and materials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived at 3:30 p.m.
TBI Africa said that the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that as at 2 p.m. on Saturday, voting did not commence in about 10 polling units in the area as INEC officials failed to show up.
NAN reports that among polling areas affected were Ward D units 044, 064, 082, 084, 085 in Ramat Crescent, Kolawole Ashimi St., Alhaja Abass St., and Buari St. in Kosofe council area.
On arrival, the INEC officials, who apologised for the late commencement of the poll without any explanation of what was caused the long delay, told the voters that there was an extension of the exercise in the area.
However, most of the affected voters had returned to their residences due to the absence of INEC officials and materials.
A voter Cyril Adindu, said he was disappointed with the late arrival of INEC officials and electoral materials.
“I am so disappointed and it is very frustrating especially for the elderly ones who were here since 8 a.m. whom I met and they left here at 2 p.m.
“They left here after waiting under the hot sun and so many people have left for their houses because they waited for so long.
“This will lead to disfranchisement of voters because there is a low turnout of voters compared to the turnout in the morning,” Adindu said.
Another voter, who simply identified herself as Mrs Oba, bemoaned the stress involved the electoral process at her polling unit.
“We are not happy about it, people have been here early this morning, we picked numbers to queue we had to return to our homes.
“We heard on the news that materials were being deployed at the Polling Units at 3.30pm and we came back to vote,” she said.
