Lagos Poll: INEC postpones elections in VGC to Sunday, March 19
Key highlights
Elections in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos postponed to Sunday, March 19 due to security concerns.
INEC officials were afraid to conduct elections inside the estate due to fears of held hostage by residents, even as residents refused to vote outside their estate out of fear of being attacked by hoodlums.
Over 6,000 registered voters were affected in 10 polling units.
The governorship and state house of assembly elections in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos, will now hold on Sunday, March 19.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said corps members were afraid to conduct elections inside the estate because they were held hostage after the February 25 polls.
Meanwhile, residents could not come out of their estate to vote because of fear of being attacked by hoodlums.
More on the postponement: INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Segun Agbaje, made the announcement when he addressed reporters at the VGC.
Elections could not hold on Saturday in the 10 polling units in the VGC area of the state because INEC officials insisted that voting would take place outside the gate of the community as opposed to inside where elections were held on February 25.
Explaining why the officials did not want to go inside the estate, the Lagos INEC REC said 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.
Over 6,000 registered voters: Disclosing the number of voters in the affected VGC polling units, Agbaje said:
“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, we should remobilize here tomorrow (Sunday) morning08:30 to conduct the elections. By 8:30am tomorrow (Sunday), we will reconvene here.”
The REC said the security committee’s chairman of the estate assured the commission of the safety of corps members and INEC staff as well as the safety of voters.
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Full Story: https://nairametrics.com/2023/03/18/lagos-poll-inec-postpones-elections-in-vgc-to-sunday-march-19/
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