Voting was underway in Nigeria’s commercial centre Lagos Saturday to elect chairmen and councillors for 57 local government and council development areas, officials said.
“Voting started at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) in the morning and will end at 4:00 pm in the evening. Movement of people and vehicles will be restricted during the period,” state electoral officer Tinuola Tokun-Pedro told AFP.
She said the measure was to ensure a hitch-free vote, the first since Nigeria elected national, state and parliamentary leaders in April 2007.
Officials said around 25 political parties were taking part in the poll, but the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of President Umaru Yar’Adua said it would boycott the vote.
The PDP said it was unconstitutional for the opposition Action Congress-led government in the state to conduct elections in more than 20 council areas approved by the 1999 Nigerian constitution.
The previous government in the state had created 37 council development areas in 2005 but the PDP said it was illegal.
According to the state government, Lago is, home to some 17 million people and needs more than 20 council areas, but the Nigerian federal government puts the population of Lagos at around nine million people.
Several UN agencies say the 17 million figure is more accurate.