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Two bye-elections
have been held in Lagos since 2007, and the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) won both; first against the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2009,
and then, against the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2010.

Isiaq Olawale of
the Action Congress (now renamed Action Congress of Nigeria) had won
the Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency election in 2007 but was
disqualified after being convicted for perjury. The bye-election in
June 2009, was between PDP’s Okanlawon Soniyi and AD’s Jamiu Eletu.

However, in
reality, the contest was between PDP and AC, which lent its political
apparatus to campaign for the AD’s candidate. In fact, campaign rallies
for Mr Eletu were always dominated by AC’s members including former
Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But the PDP won the election
which was visibly marred with violence. The AC accepted the result, but
blamed the loss on the incompetence of the Alliance for Democracy.

About 18 months
later, the ACN tasted another defeat at the polls in Ikorodu where it
lost the bye-election for the Ikorodu II constituency to PDP’s flag
bearer, Olugbenga Akinwale Oshin. In contrast to the party’s acceptance
of the 2009 bye-election result,ACN is challenging the outcome of the
Ikorodu election, claiming the election was marred with violence.

For the record,
however, the election was largely peaceful, though not devoid of
financial inducement. Only one case of snatching of ballot box was
reported in Ginti village and the result from the village was rejected
as INEC cancelled the election.

Voters Register

Ikorodu II
constituency has eight wards with about 49,000 registered voters
according to the 2007 national register which was used for the
election. It is even difficult for INEC to say the number of registered
voters in the constituency. For instance, in Ijede I Ward, the list
shown to NEXT by INEC’s spokesman had 4,245 registered voters but the
list with the collation officer, Autin Ituedo, had 3,960 voters. Only
two wards, Igbogbo II and Bayeku/Oretan had the same number of voters.

In addition,
several people could not vote because they did not find their names on
the register. At Methodist Primary School, Igbogbo Ward 1’s polling
unit 3, NEXT counted about 40 intending voters who suffered this
fate.”This is the place where I registered and voted in 2007 but now I
can’t find my name here,” said Kafayat Akanmu, who spoke to NEXT in
Yoruba.

Few determined
voters had to check at several wards before finding their names but
many, after a search at about two or three units, went back home
without voting because the pasted registers are being torn in some
polling units.”This will cause problem in 2011. Imagine if there is no
movement of okada, how will I be able to move round the units to locate
my name,” said a voter, who identified herself as Sekilola, who finally
found her name after checking the fourth polling unit.

A percentage of
total votes cast against the total number of registered voters showed
that less than 20 percent of potential voters turned out to vote.

Disgruntled electorate

It is not clear if
the anomalies occasioned by INEC’s imperfect voters register swayed the
result of the election in favour of any of the candidates. What is
clear, is that the PDP won five out of the eight wards, all of which
are rural areas. The result, largely reflect the indignation of the
rural dwellers against the ACN.

“We hear of so
many wonderful things that Fashola is doing. We even see it ourselves
anytime we travel to Lagos,” said Kareem Alabi, a resident of Imota,
who agreed to speak to NEXT after so many others would not even want to
talk about ACN. “But we don’t see any of that here or can you see
anything that ACN has done here?” he asked.

From
investigation, the people’s decision to cast their votes for the PDP
was not so much about a deep affection for the party but a way of
expressing their resentment at what they termed selective development
in the state.

The ACN would have
scored a huge point if the government had listened to the plea of Sanai
Agunbiade (Ikorodu I Constituency), which he made when the deceased
lawmaker, Rotimi Sotomiwa, was about to be buried.

Mr Agunbiade
appealed that the deplorable Bola Ahmed Tinubu road, the repair of
which Mr Sotomiwa fought for, should be done before his burial.”We also
want to benefit from good things but all our appeal have gone
unrecognised,” said an Ijede resident, Johnson Olaiya. “None of the
projects that Fashola started in Ikorodu have been completed.” The
projects being referred are: the ongoing Jetty project from where
vehicles, goods and passengers can be ferried across to Lagos Island,
thereby reducing congestion on the road; the construction of a
Magistrate Court and Palace. The completion of the Jetty is earnestly
being expected by the people as this will directly affect their
economic activities.

However, it is not
entirely the fault of the state government as it is that of the local
governments and the ministry of rural developments who neglected
Ikorodu constituency.

“Sotomiwa fought
for the police station they now have in Ijede and that is why ACN has
more supporters there now,” said Mr Olaiya, adding that if the
government will just implement people-oriented projects in the
division, the ACN may well win back the peoples’ hearts.