Lagos Senatorial by-elections hold today

The lagos state senatorial by-election is being held today, in Lagos East senatorial district to replace the vacant seat created by the death of senator Adebayo Osinowo in June this year.

Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Tokunbo Abiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are the major contenders in the election.

The election will be held across five local government areas (LGAs)  and eleven local council development areas LCDA’s.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State says 8,553 ad hoc staff have been engaged for Saturday’s Lagos East by-elections.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sam Olumekun, made this disclosure at a news conference on Friday in Lagos.

Olumekun, who urged all eligible voters to adhere strictly to COVID-19 protocols, said that the ad hoc staff comprised 1,928 Presiding Officers, 6,348 Assistant Presiding Officers and 193 Supervisory Presiding Officers.

According to him, the number also includes 84 Registration Area (Ward) Collation Officers, comprising 71 for Lagos East Senatorial District, six for Kosofe Constituency II and two Constituency Collation/Returning Officers.

Giving the delimitation of Lagos East Senatorial District, Olumekun said that the district had five Local Government Areas (LGAs) with 1, 978 polling units, 71 wards, and 1,343,448 registered voters.

He said that LGAs collation centres would be at the INEC Offices in Somolu, Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki except for Kosofe which had been situated at Anglican Comprehensive High School, Ogudu.

Olumekun said that Lagos East Senatorial Constituency Collation Centre would be at INEC office in Somolu.

“The by-elections will be conducted in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols. We will be professional in the conduct of these by-elections.

“It should also be understood that elections must not be an avenue to spread Coronavirus in the state,” he said.

Olumekun said that for crowd control at collation centres, the commission would allow only collation/returning officers, INEC personnel, one agent per party/candidate, approved and designated security officers.