Despite repeated calls by election officials and stakeholders for increased civic participation in the just concluded Local Government elections in Lagos, many young residents of Alausa, Ikeja, chose to stay away from polling units, opting instead to play football. From around 9am to 2pm on Saturday — the peak of election activities — groups of youths were spotted at three different locations in Alausa, engrossed in matches rather than casting their votes.
When approached, several of the youths cited a deep-seated lack of trust in the electoral system as the reason behind their disengagement. “You can’t force me to vote. I chose to play ball, and why will I vote?” said Ayomikun Ola. Another young man, Opeyemi Omoemi, voiced similar sentiments: “We all know that it’s the APC that wins all, as usual. So there is no need for me to disturb myself.”
Wasiu, another youth on the field, said, “Bro, there is no need. I am satisfied with the football than the vote.” Bayo, who also joined the game, explained that he did not meet the age requirement: “I haven’t clocked 18, that’s why I didn’t vote. The best is to play football,” he said.
Not all the apathy came from the football field. Seriki Ganiyat, a young woman attending to customers at her nearby shop, said she could not afford to close her business just to vote. “It’s not necessary. I have children to feed. Imagine if I had to leave my shop to go and vote. What for and what will my children eat this night?” she asked.
Low Youth Voter Turnout Highlights Widespread Apathy in Alausa Polling Units
The attitudes observed in Alausa reflected a broader trend of low voter turnout across several polling units in the area. At Polling Unit 003, Ward 7, only 61 of the 1,000 registered voters had cast their ballots as of 1:05pm. Similarly, PU 007 of the same ward had recorded only 30 voters by 1pm, while PU 031 had just four votes out of 29 registered as of 1:12pm.
The pattern continued in other units. At PU 026, only one person voted out of 21 registered, and PU 027 saw just five out of 62 registered voters by 1:43pm. In Ward F, PU 011 recorded 45 voters from a total of 908, while PU 085 had no votes at all by 1:45pm, despite having four registered voters.
In Ward C’s PU 004, only 30 people had voted from 913 registered as of 1:47pm. PU 036 in Ward F had a similar turnout, with just 50 voters out of 986 by 1:51pm.
These figures underscore a prevailing voter apathy and disengagement, especially among young people, raising concerns about the credibility and representativeness of the local election process. This article was originally published by Punchng.com and has been adapted for further clarity.
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