26th February, 2023
Over 24 hours after the opening of polls in Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in Lagos State, only a few results have arrived at the State Collation Centre.
The collation room was opened at 11.30 midnight on Saturday but reconvened at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
After no result arrived by 10 a.m., the collation was again shifted to 12 noon.
Despite the postponement, only about five results (out of 20) arrived as of the time of filing this report(4 pm).
The Head of media of the Lagos center, however, assured that activities will commence sooner.
She confirmed that results have arrived from five Local Government Areas while others were on their way.
Earlier, Adenike Oladiji, the state’s Collation Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, described the collation as a serious assignment.
Speaking to journalists in his opening address on Saturday, the professor said: ”This is a serious national assignment that has brought us together here.
”It is also an assignment that is of international importance, and that explains why we have international observers here with us.
”Our job is simple. If we follow the well-laid-out procedures of INEC, we know it is very simple and easy.
”It is a call to duty, it is a national assignment and we hope that we will not fail our country. As we can all see, the results are not here yet.
”So that we won’t keep ourselves just waiting, expecting the results, we are proposing that we reconvene tomorrow (Sunday) at 10. am.
”We know that by that time some of our results will be here and we will be able to process them all in this hall.”
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Olusegun Agbaje, on his part, commended the collation officer.
He said that collation was at various stages in the state.
According to Mr. Agbaje, in the end, Nigerians will be happy that INEC has done a lot to ensure that people are allowed to vote in spite of a few hitches.