As the Lagos local government elections went underway on Saturday, some youths in Alausa, Ikeja, opted to stay away from polling units, choosing instead to play football.
Between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, a period when voting was in full swing, several groups of young people were seen actively engaged in football matches at three different locations in Alausa.
When approached, many expressed disinterest in the voting process, citing distrust in the system and a belief that the results were predetermined.
“You can’t force me to vote. I chose to play ball, and why will I vote?” said Ayomikun Ola, one of the players.
Opeyemi Omoemi, another youth, echoed similar sentiments.
“We all know that it’s the APC that wins all, as usual. So there is no need for me to disturb myself,” he said.
Also on the pitch was Wasiu, who remarked, “Bro, there is no need. I am satisfied with the football than the vote.”
One of the players, Bayo, explained he was underage. “I haven’t clocked 18, that’s why I didn’t vote. The best is to play football,” he noted.
Nearby, a young woman, Seriki Ganiyat, who was busy attending to customers in her shop, said she couldn’t afford to abandon her business for the elections.
“It’s not necessary. I have children to feed. Imagine if I had to leave my shop to go and vote. What for and what will my children eat this night?” she asked.
Their comments reflected the growing voter apathy and low turnout seen across various parts of the state during the elections.
At Polling Unit 003, Ward 7, only 61 out of 1,000 registered voters had participated by 1:05 pm. Likewise, PU 007 in the same ward had recorded just 30 votes by 1:00 pm, while PU 031 had only four voters from a list of 29 as of 1:12 pm.
In PU 026, a single voter had cast a ballot out of 21 registered. PU 027 saw only five votes from 62 registered voters by 1:43 pm.
The trend continued at Ward F, PU 011, where just 45 voters came out from a pool of 908. PU 085 had no votes cast at all by 1:45 pm, despite having four registered voters.
In Ward C’s PU 004, only 30 out of 913 people had voted as of 1:47 pm, and at Ward F, PU 036, 50 voters had shown up out of 986 by 1:51 pm.
