An agent of the All Progressives Congress, Alli Olugbenga, has said that voters were demanding money before casting their votes during Saturday’s local government elections in Lagos State.
Alli, stationed at Ward C, Kosofe Local Government Area, recently revealed that he encountered several Nigerians who refused to go to polling units unless they were paid.
Speaking to the press, Olugbenga shared that such behaviour is very wrong from citizens because voting should be a civic right.
According to him, he went from house to house to beg residents to come out and exercise their franchise, but many of them insisted that they wouldn’t step out of their homes without receiving money first.
“They want me to pay them before they come out and vote. It’s wrong. It’s their civic right. They should not sell their vote. We’ve been going from house to house, begging people to come out, but many say they won’t vote unless they are ‘settled’,” he said.
At Polling Unit 028 in Ward C, where 106 voters were expected, just two people had cast their votes as of mid-morning.
The APC party agents at the location disclosed that they had been calling known voters and waiting patiently since 8:00 a.m.
“We have called some people and we are still waiting for them,” one agent said.
The situation was similar at Polling Unit 029, also in Ward C, where only six out of 160 registered voters had shown up by 11:33 a.m.
Despite the poor turnout, officials described the process as peaceful, with agents from various parties cooperating and voters behaving orderly.
A PDP agent, however, expressed disappointment over the low turnout on such a crucial day.
“Everybody has been at home. No one is coming to vote. I’m frustrated,” she added.
