Monday, October 26, 2026

OsunDecides: 97-year-old voter advises Nigerians to participate during elections

Mr Adesanmi urged youths and other Nigerians to vote wisely for a better future.

• August 15, 2026
Isaac Adesanmi
Isaac Adesanmi

A 97-year-old man, Isaac Adesanmi, has said he would continue to vote during elections because of his interest in ensuring good governance in the country.

Mr Adesanmi was among some elderly voters spotted at NUD Primary School, Collation Centre, Unit 1, Ward 4, Ilase-Ijesa, in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun, during Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

He told journalists that it is the civic duty of any right-thinking person to cast his ballot during an election, adding that whether you voted or not, when a contender emerges as the winner, he will govern over you.

Mr Adesanmi, who was assisted to the polling unit by his relative, said he was happy that he took part in the exercise.

Although Mr Adesanmi experienced a slight delay because the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) could not capture his face and fingerprints, he later voted after repeated attempts, before the machine captured his fingerprints.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had urged him to be patient, assuring him that they would make another attempt.

Mr Adesanmi, whose name was number 116 on the voters’ register, said he had been voting since the days of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

“I am 97 years old and I started voting during the time of Awolowo.

“I always vote whenever an election comes up. I have been voting in Kaduna before I returned home,” he said.

Mr Adesanmi urged youths and other Nigerians to vote wisely for a better future.

“My message to Nigerians is to continue to vote at all election and for the right people because that is key to good governance,” he said.

Asked what advice he had for whoever emerged as the winner of the election, the nonagenarian urged the winner to fulfil the promises made during the electioneering campaigns.

 (NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Euromatch ‌‌NPFL

Sport

Euromatch ‌‌NPFL: Matchday 10 results

Here are the results of the Matchday 10 fixtures in the ongoing 2026/2027 Euromatch Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), played on Sunday.

Islamic clerics

Politics

1,117 Muslim clerics in Katsina endorse Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid

Thousands of Islamic clerics from the Izala and Tijjaniyya groups in Katsina State have endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Image used to tell the story

NationWide

Nigeria edge Uganda by 1 run to win Cricket World Cup Africa qualifier

Nigeria scored 148 runs in 19.4 overs before restricting Uganda to 147 for nine in 20 overs at the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Oval 1 on Sunday.

NiMet

Heading 1

NiMet predicts three-day dust haze, thunderstorms nationwide from Monday

For Wednesday, the agency forecast sunny and hazy conditions across the northern region throughout the day.

screening of travellers

Health

Ebola: Kebbi intensifies surveillance at airport, border

Mr Abubakar stressed the state government’s commitment to protecting residents through proactive disease surveillance.