CITIZENS COMPASS– FOLLOWING some hitches in the March 18, 2023, Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections at Victoria Garden City (VGC) around the Lekki area of Lagos, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the elections in the area.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Segun Agbaje made the announcement when he addressed reporters at the VGC.
According to him, corps members deployed as ad hoc staff on Saturday, were hesitant to enter the VGC estate as they alleged that they were held hostage in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Agbaje said the commission’s ad hoc staff set up voting materials in front of the estate on Saturday but the estate residents claimed that hoodlums might disrupt the process, so they did not feel secure and could not cast their votes.
He said the situation was difficult for security agents to contain hence he and his team had to come to the area.
“We have eight polling units here with 6,024 registered voters and out of which 5,624 people have their PVCs,” he stated, adding that two other polling units at the estate’s main gate were also affected. “Eight here (in the estate) and two outside,” he noted.
“After due consultation and further directive from the national headquarters that we should remobilise here tomorrow (Sunday) morning by 08:30am to conduct the elections.
By 08:30am tomorrow (Sunday), we will reconvene here.”
Agbaje said the chairman of the security committee of the estate had assured the commission of the safety of corps members and INEC staff as well as the safety of voters.
Some of the polling units affected include PU 032,033, 119 -124.
The governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Tunde Doherty, whose polling unit is in the VGC scolded INEC for poor arrangement, saying the situation is “unfortunate”.
