My Voting Experience

On Saturday, 14th April 2007, Nigerians went out for the Gubernatorial elections. 12th and 13th April were declared as public holidays for those who had to go to their home towns, villages or wherever to vote and yah for other rumored reasons Uncle Sege had. Whatever reason the holiday was welcomed by many including me!

Elections started around 10 a.m but I was ready to go a-voting by 12 noon. I went to the voting poll centre (oh nothing grand, more like under a tree as you can see in the photos!) with my aunt and a friend and the queue was so long! It was as if everyone decided they would come out to vote by 12. We were actually at the tail end of the queue. After standing on the same spot on the queue for 5 mins I began to wonder if voting was really worth my time. Lol...I really wasn't willing to stand on that motionless queue forever. My aunt and friend concurred with me so we decided to go back home not before reserving our space on the queue. We asked/begged/pleaded with some guy we knew on the queue to save our spaces. (I am not sure why but I felt I would be sinning if I didn't vote hehehe).

About 3p.m the guy called my mobile phone! Thank God for those little things! He said to me that he was approaching the front of the queue...Correct!..so I tell my aunt & friend and we hurry on to the tree, oops, I mean voting poll centre. Veritably, the guy was at the front of the line. At this point we find our level on the queue though it was still moving slowly and I guess this was because some people were either creating their own line or joining the front of the queue from behind (typical of Nigerians). A woman in front of us was really provoked about this and went to cause some good wahala (trouble) in front of the queue. She screamed at all the INEC officers and the guilty people.Other people joined her in the "raking" saying they had been standing on the queue for 2 hours and they would not allow anyone to just stroll in and think they can vote. Personally i think they all deserved been shouted at. Thank God for that woman and the others who intervened, we for stand on that queue for ever. Anyway an hour or so later, I fulfilled my civil duties and left the place with my aunt and friend. For the presidential elections I hope to be there early so I can vote on time. I guess despite the little uproar, my experience was peaceful and I guess to some boring...lol. I hear there were fights in some other places in Lagos and in some other towns, not like I expected any less.

Oh yes, I voted for Jimi Agbaje("Do you want same of the same Or Jimi Agbaje")...Really he looks the part and I think would have acted the part and I don't think he is same of the same. Alas Fashola won. You can check the results of the Gubernatorial elections in Tayo's blog. Well am not into politics so wont talk much about the candidates but am glad it was not Koro that won (i don't like that guy one bit- definitely same of the same). Am hoping and believing Fashola performs his gubernatorial duties well.

But really were the election results really fair and free like they claim? I wonder what will happen next week as per presidential elections and results.