Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday participated in the local government elections by casting his vote in Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Gbajabiamila arrived at Polling Unit 014, situated within Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area, at exactly 12:28 p.m. He was accompanied by a number of supporters and several government officials. His presence heightened security at the polling unit, which has 669 registered voters. He cast his vote three minutes after his arrival, at 12:31 p.m.
Following the exercise, Gbajabiamila addressed reporters, expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the election, which he described as “free and fair.” However, he voiced disappointment over what he observed as a low turnout of voters across polling stations.
“So far, I’ve seen peace, I’ve seen quiet, I’ve seen free and fair election,” he stated. “A little bit disappointed about the turnout, which is where we need to work on. There is general low turnout from what I’ve seen.”
He attributed the voter apathy to a lack of public understanding of the importance of local government elections, which he emphasized are crucial to effective grassroots governance.
“Perhaps because people don’t understand fully the importance of local government elections, which is even more important than any other election. We need to sensitise our people. We need to educate them about the importance of grassroot government,” he added.
Despite the low participation, he praised the peaceful atmosphere at the polling units and expressed optimism that the democratic process is moving in the right direction.
Gbajabiamila also addressed recent political developments, particularly the decision of various opposition parties to unite under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in a coalition ahead of future elections. He welcomed the move, calling it healthy for Nigeria’s democracy.
“It’s a welcome development with the coalition. It’s not the first time we’re seeing this. It’s a welcome development. In every democracy, we must have some level of opposition otherwise we’ll run into a one-party state. But I’m not sure where it would go,” he said.
Responding to questions regarding the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy issued a year ago, Gbajabiamila acknowledged the decision as a positive milestone but noted that its full implementation is still in progress.
“The ruling was welcome by everybody. It’s the execution of that ruling and the implementation of that ruling that we are still trying to dot the Is and cross the Ts,” he explained.
He expressed confidence that in time, full autonomy for local governments would be realized, which he said is essential for achieving meaningful development at the grassroots level.
“I believe in a matter of time, we will realise full autonomy. There cannot be effective governance without full autonomy. That’s what we are working toward,” he concluded.
Saturday’s elections are being held across all 20 constitutionally recognized local government areas and 37 local council development areas in Lagos State. While officials from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) reported early deployment of materials in some areas, delays were experienced in others, sparking concern among voters.
The exercise has drawn significant attention as a litmus test for the political influence of key figures in Lagos, especially in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, where opposition parties made unexpected gains in several strongholds of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
What You Should Know
Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, emphasized the importance of grassroots participation after voting in Lagos’ local government elections.
He expressed concern over low voter turnout, linked it to public misunderstanding of local elections’ significance, and stressed the need for better civic education to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
