While election officials urged Lagosians to come out and vote in the ongoing local government elections, many young people in Alausa, Ikeja had other plans—football.
From 9am to 2pm on Saturday, when voting was in full swing, various groups of youths were spotted playing football on three different fields instead of heading to the polling units.
For some, it was a protest; for others, a lack of interest or belief in the process.
“You can’t force me to vote. I chose to play ball, and why will I vote?” said Ayomikun Ola, one of the players.
Another youth, Opeyemi Omoemi, was more direct: “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 footballer, simply said, “Bro, there is no need. I am satisfied with the football than the vote.”
One of the players, Bayo, gave a legal reason for not voting: “I haven’t clocked 18, that’s why I didn’t vote. The best is to play football.”
Near the pitch, 19-year-old Seriki Ganiyat, who was attending to customers at her shop, said business comes before politics. “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?”
Their reasons reflect a deeper crisis—voter apathy fueled by a lack of trust in the electoral system and disconnection from local governance.
The effect of this apathy showed clearly in the turnout. At Polling Unit 003, Ward 7, only 61 out of 1,000 registered voters had voted by 1:05pm. At PU 007, only 30 had shown up. PU 031 recorded just four voters. And PU 085 had none at all by 1:45pm.
The story was the same across other wards, with figures barely reaching 10% of the registered voters.
While football might be fun, the message from these youths is serious—many no longer believe their votes count. The low turnout sends a warning to politicians and electoral bodies: until trust is rebuilt, the fields may continue to pull more crowds than the ballot boxes.
#LagosElections #VoterApathy #YouthVoices #LGpolls
