Key highlights
- Governor Sanwo-Olu said any form of voter intimidation is unacceptable to the government
- The Governor wants voters to come out and exercises their right.
- Sanwo-Olu urges the voters to report any unusual event they observe during voting.
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that the state government will not tolerate any form of voter intimidation during the ongoing gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in the state.
Sanwo-Olu stated this after casting his vote at St Stephen Primary School, Eyekole, Adeniji-Adele area of the state. The governor called on residents of the state to come out and exercise their rights by voting.
See something, say something: Addressing journalists after casting his vote, Governor Sanwo-Olu said:
- “I just want to say that I’m excited and I’m happy to be here and I want to ask that all voters, all of our citizens should just remain vigilant. You know, if you see anything, say something, and just all let’s come out and exercise our rights freely, devoid of any form of acrimony or any form of protest or any form of intimidation. That is not acceptable to us as a government.
- “I want the people to see and to understand that this process is not meant to be a process of violence. An election that leads to a democratic process is the best form of validation of what true democracy should be about. And so I want to reiterate again that this contest is about progress, is about prosperity for our state, and our country at large.
- “And I want you all gentlemen of the press, to continue to preach and to advocate for everyone to have the right to be able to express themselves freely, fairly, and transparently.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is seeking re-election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), suggested that some other political parties might be engaging in some shady practices in the ongoing elections, though he could not confirm it. He said:
- “I’m happy driving here this morning, that everywhere in the city looks calm, but there are a few disturbing videos that we have also seen where some parties, I’m told that they were doing one or two things, which is not verifiable, so I’m not going to talk about it.”
As of the time of filing this report, voting is ongoing across the state, though a low turnout of voters is observed in some areas. There have also been reports of thugs disrupting the exercise in some parts of the state.