As Lagos residents troop out to cast their votes in the Local Government elections, major roads leading to the nation’s commercial capital have been deserted.

As at the time of filing this report, there was no vehicular or human movements from Otedola Road to Ojota and to Yaba

Lagosians would use their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to elect their preferred representatives in 13,325 polling units across the 376 wards spread across the state.

With an estimated population of 20 million people, it is expected that the electorates would choose their preferred representatives into chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship positions across the 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.

Currently, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained a tight grip on Lagos. It is however not clear if the dynamics would change as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) holds this crucial exercise for people at the grassroots.

In the buildup to Saturday’s election, the LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, said no political party was restrained from participating in the elections. Data from the body shows that 15 out of the 19 registered political parties in the country have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.

Justice Okikiolu-Ighile noted that the electoral body won’t use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the election. Instead, he said, “there are some electronics that we are going to use in between. We can go manual.”

The councils where elections sould hold include Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Alimosho, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, and Surulere.

The LCDAs are Orile Agege, Ifelodun, Agbado-Oke Odo, Ayobo-Ipaja, Egbe-Idimu, Mosan-Okunola, Oriade, Apapa Iganmu, Olorunda, Badagry West, Eredo, Ikosi-Ejirin, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru/Victoria Island, Lekki, Ojokoro, Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Ijede, Imota, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikosi-Isheri, Lagos Island East, Yaba, Odi-Olowo, Iba, Oto-Awori, Ejigbo, Isolo, Bariga, Coker-Aguda, and Itire-Ikate.

In Agege, the central eye of focus is Abdulganiyu Obasa, the son of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who is contesting the vice-chairmanship seat of Agege LGA.