House Of Assembly Elections Went Well, According To Gbajabiamila
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, hailed the governorship and house of assembly elections as calm on Saturday but bemoaned the low voter participation.
After casting his ballot at Ward 08, Polling Unit 014, Elizabeth Fowler Memorial School in Surulere, Lagos, Gbajabiamila gave a news crew an interview.
“The voting procedure has been quiet and orderly at my polling place; the only drawback overall is the low voter turnout for the elections.
The frenzied rush of two weeks ago is not present, but we shall learn the figures at the end of the day.
The Speaker said, “There has certainly been some form of voter indifference if it continues the way it has since morning.
Gbajabiamila said that the Independent National Electoral Commission has significantly improved its level of readiness (INEC).
According to his own knowledge, the BVAS has operated pretty especially everywhere. “The employees and supplies arrived early, accreditation went smoothly, and the BVAS has functioned well overall,” he added.
Gbajabiamila, however, said that since technology had just recently been included into the electoral process, there were some glitches during the Feb. 25 presidential and national assembly elections.
“What occurred a few of weeks ago is a learning process. I don’t know what happened with the technology when INEC attempted to implement it.
“But as I said, learning is a process, and I believe INEC seems to have fixed any flaws, so I believe this time around’s operation will be lot better.
A system is not perfected on the first day, but rather as you get more used to using it, according to Gbajabiamila.
According to the Speaker, 25 million individuals participated in the polls, which is a sizable amount given modern technology.
Yet it is not an explanation. I’m simply trying to convey that until you perfect the system, there will always be flaws in any system,” he remarked.
Gbajabiamila asserts that he would not place blame for the rise in violence in various sections of the state on any one individual.
He urged the authorities to launch an investigation and to charge anybody found guilty as a deterrent against such incidents in the future.
“It’s awful, but we simply have to keep encouraging ourselves and others to exercise their rights.
We just need to keep up the culture of tolerance and let people cast their ballots according to their moral convictions, Gbajabiamila remarked.
