There was excitement at Polling Unit 027, Ward C1, College Road in Ifako-Ijaiye as the Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Hamzat, won convincingly during the local government elections.
Out of 336 valid votes cast, Hamzat secured 335, while the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Adedayo Ashade, got just one vote.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Michael Oloyede, received none.
This result came from a polling unit with 848 registered voters.
Voting started late as officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) arrived around 9:28 a.m., despite many voters arriving as early as 8 a.m.
Hamzat arrived with his family at 10:10 a.m. and cast his vote two minutes later.
Speaking afterwards, he said he was confident of victory and described the voter turnout at his polling unit as satisfactory, despite the delay.
He addressed concerns about low participation, saying many people were unable to vote because they had lost their voter cards or believed local government elections were not important.
He added that there had been enough public awareness campaigns by LASIEC and INEC, involving religious groups and youths.
Hamzat urged citizens to take their civic duties seriously and not wait until participation affects them personally before getting involved.
On the issue of local government autonomy, Hamzat said councils in Lagos already enjoy full financial independence, and that’s why many are performing well.
He mentioned recent achievements such as new health centres and road projects, adding that performance depends more on the leaders’ willingness to do the right thing than on structural issues.
Also at the polls was the Vice Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye and APC vice chairmanship candidate, Oluwatoyin Awoniyi-Akerele, who voted at Polling Unit 023, Ward B.
She described the election as peaceful and expressed optimism about their re-election, pointing to the party’s performance as a key factor.
She said people were gradually coming out to vote and that all party agents were cooperating well.
Both candidates expressed confidence that the APC would retain its leadership in the local government, promising continued development and delivery of democratic benefits to the people.
