Razaq Bamidele
Fears expressed earlier by some sections of the populace that scarcity of fuel and the new Naira notes could affect the smooth operation of 2023 general elections are now manifesting with the experience of some eligible voters who could not get to the states and towns where they registered for their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
Mr. Owolabi Idris Oloyede, a Director of Education in Lagos State, is one of the victims who could not get money to fuel his car to travel home to perform his civic right. “I combed the length and breadth of Lagos metropolitan City from Wednesday to Friday to get cash to no avail,” Owolabi a product of the University of Ibadan and Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, told our correspondent on the phone.
READ ALSO: #NIGERIA DECIDES: Police nab suspected poll riggers at Isolo
The Education Director planned ahead to travel to his hometown, Igbaye in Odo-Otin Local Government of Osun State to vote at his Polling Unit 03.
However, the seriously-angry Owolabi, however, got the consolation from the fact that his wife, Alhaja Rasheedat Owolabi collected her PVC in Lagos and so she would be able to vote.
The stories of other two eligible voters was nearly similar to that of the Lagos State Director of Education but by the dint of luck and dogged determinations, they were able to scale through but could not get to their areas of electoral jurisdiction until very late in the night.
READ ALSO: https://www.thexpressng.com/nigeria-decides-atiku-votes-in-adamawa/
Professor Olayinka Kudus Amuni of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo escaped the 12 am restriction as he managed to get to his Epe home town by 11 pm while a petrochemical expert, Engineer Raphael Ade Oyeniran also got to his Igbaye home town in Odo-Otin Local Government around the same time as Professor Amuni.
It is certain there are other scores of stranded victims of scarcity of naira note and fuel out there whose stories we we likely read after the election.
