The gubernatorial and state assembly elections scheduled for this Saturday in 10 polling places in Victoria Garden City (VGC) near the Lekki region of the state have been postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Segun Agbaje, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, made the declaration while speaking to reporters at the VGC.
He claimed that on Saturday, the corps members who had been assigned as ad hoc employees were reluctant to approach the VGC estate because they believed they had been held captive during the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25.
According to Agbaje, the commission’s ad hoc staff had voting materials put up in front of the estate on Saturday, but the inhabitants of the estate complained that hoodlums might interfere with the election, making them feel unsafe and preventing them from voting.
“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 remobilize here tomorrow (Sunday) morning by 08:30 am to conduct the elections.
“By 08:30 am tomorrow (Sunday), we will reconvene here.”
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”.