APC wins, as 3.4% voters turn out for Lagos bye-election

Less than four per cent of registered voters turned out for a bye-election in Lagos State on Saturday.
At the end of the election, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Noheem Adams, defeated eight opponents to emerge winner of the Eti-Osa Constituency I bye-election in Lagos State.
The Returning Officer for the election, Oyeyemi Oyedola, made the declaration at the votes collation centre, Lagos State Model Nursery and Primary School, Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
Oyedola said that Adams polled 4,204 votes to defeat his closest rival, Arubiewe Abogun of Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 1,652 votes.
According to Mr. Oyedola, Action Alliance had 10 votes, Alliance for Democracy, 128 votes; Better Nigeria’s Peoples Party, five; Democratic Alliance, one; and Progressive Peoples Alliance, eight votes.
He added that United Democratic Party polled two votes, while New Nigerian Peoples Party secured five votes.
Oyedola said that the total number of registered voters was 183,551, accredited voters, 6,280; valid votes, 6,015 and rejected votes, 154, while the total votes cast was 6,169.
He said that the percentage turnout of voters was 3.42 per cent.
“I, Prof. Oyeyemi Elijah Oyedola , hereby certify that I was the Returning Officer for the Eti-Osa Constituency 1 bye-election held on Sept. 30, 2017.
”That the election was contested; that Mr Adams Noheem Babatunde of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected, ” he said at 10.10p.m.
Some of the party representatives who spoke to NAN expressed mixed feelings.
A PDP representative at the collation centre, Adesina Aderemi, said that INEC did a good job of conducting a fair election, adding that it should keep it up.
”The security agencies should be commended because it was a violence-free election.
”However, the problems in the country made the people shun the election,” he said.
The winner, Mr. Adams, told NAN at the centre that he was satisfied with the process, and commended the residents for having confidence in him.
” I did not know why my people love me so much; during the primary election, my victory was a landslide; the same thing is being witnessed here.
”I will make myself available to them as well as live up to my mandate,” he pledged.
Mr. Adams hailed his closest rival for exhibiting the spirit of sportsmanship, and promised to work with him to move the constituency forward.
NAN reports that the bye-election resulted from the death of Kazeem Alimi, who represented the constituency at the State House of Assembly. Mr. Alimi died on July 18. (NAN)