23rd February, 2019
Unlike some who had to wait for electoral officials to arrive their polling units, others commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for keeping to its words to arrive early at their own units in Lagos.
Voting started at 8:00 a.m. at Polling Units 012 and 013 in Ward 09 in Alagomeji in Lagos Mainland Local Government area of Lagos.
Prospective voters were already on a queue at the polling units and the turnout was impressive.
Mr Gbadamosi Garba, a factory worker, expressed satisfaction with the exercise, commending INEC for the simultaneous accreditation and voting as well as the security.
Garba, who voted at PU 012, said: “I am very happy about this exercise, it is simply. I like the presence of security officers and I am happy to have voted for the candidates of my choice.
Mr Wahab Adekanbi, a 71-year-old voter, also commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise.
Miss Etinosa Oriakhoe, a businesswoman, who voted at PU 012, said: “this is my first time of voting. I forced myself to come out and vote this time around. I like the process, it was very fast.”
Mr Christian Davies, who works in a contracting firm, commended the commission for fast pace of the exercise but said that the card reader could not accredit him.
Davies said that he was allowed to vote because his name was found on the voter register and urged INEC to work on the functionality of the card readers.
A party agent of APGA in PU 012, Mr Iliyasu Zaki, said the exercise had been smooth since 8:00 a.m. when the exercise started.
The APC party agent at same PU 012 Unit, Mr Rasak Jimoh, said: ‘It is been very smooth. I am pleased with the functioning of card readers. There is no argument. Everything is in order, but there is always room for improvements.
“Some of the staff were confused a little bit about the process, we have to guide them because we have been in this business for long. I think more should be done on training of staff.”
He, however, complained that the ink given to the officials was not strong enough.
The PDP party agent at PU 012 Unit, Mr Taiwo Idris, also described the process as peaceful and orderly.
Mr Patrick Davids, the KOWA party agent at PU 013, also said that the exercise had been peaceful and the turnout increasing, adding that there had been no issue with the card reader machines.
However, INEC officials arrived late in some polling units in Lagos, although prospective voters had turned out en masse before the scheduled polling time of 8.00 am.
At Unit 013 Polling Station in Alimosho Local Government area in Lagos, INEC officials arrived there at precisely 8.40 a.m. with the voting materials.
At Ward E, Unit 21 in Killington area of Alagbado, INEC officials arrived with their materials at 8.45am.
The news correspondent, who was at the wards by 7.20 a.m. observed that voters started arriving the polling unit as early as 7.30 to wait for the accreditation and voting exercise.
Dennis Subakin, a voter, told NAN that he was not impressed by the late arrival of the INEC officials, adding that they were required to keep to time in order to accommodate voters as scheduled.
“I left my house very early because I believe that they will be here before 8.a.m., but unfortunately they still kept to the “African time” which is not a good impression,” he said.