The All Progressives Congress will on Saturday test how popular the ruling party is in the bye-election to fill the vacant seat of the Lagos East Senatorial District at the Senate.
The party will also test wether its level of acceptability is still high among the electorate in Kosofe Constituency 2 where by election will also be conducted today ( Saturday).
The ruling party’s popularity waned during the protests which was eventually hijacked by hoodlums who killed, stole and destroyed many government and private assets.
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Senator Bayo Osinowo, who represented Lagos East Senatorial District, at the Senate died in June during the heat of COVID-19 and the House of Assembly member, Tunde Braimoh, also died in July. Both of them were elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The contest in Kosofe 2 is also expected to be between the APC and the PDP candidates .
Candidates from 12 political parties will go to poll for the Lagos East Senatorial by-election while eight candidates will be contesting the Kosofe Constituency II, Lagos State House of Assembly by-elections.
The contestants for the senatorial election are: Muyiwa Adebanjo, Action Alliance; Ms Mercy Adeoye, African Action Congress, and John Kome, African Democratic Congress.
Others are Adebowale Ogunlaru, Action Democratic Party; Adetokunbo Abiru, All Progressives Congress; Olusola Babatope, Allied Peoples Movement; Mrs Florence Trautman, Labour Party; and Ms Adijat Lawal, New Nigeria Peoples Party.
They also include Babatunde Gbadamosi, Peoples Democratic Party; Akin Olukunle, National Rescue Movement; Saheed Aluko, Social Democratic Party and Taiwo Temitope, Young Progressive Party.
However, the contest, analysts said, would be a two horse race between the candidate of the APC, Abiru and PDP’s Gbadamosi.
The eight contestants for the Kosofe Constituency II bye-election are John Akerele, AA; Sadiq Olawale, AAC; Wasiu Saheed, APC; Adekunle Oladapo, LP; Muyideen Agoro, NNPP; Ademorin Adelaja, NRM; Sikiru Alebiosu, PDP and Mrs Mary Abojeh, ADC.
The House of Assembly bye-election is also expected to be a strict contest between the APC and the PDP.
However, some residents said the recently held #EndSARS protest might have a negtaive effect on the performance of the two leading parties.
Some residents of Ikorodu said the turnout is expected to be higher than before because the #EndSARS protests raised the political consciousness of many youths.
One of the residents, Wale Balogun, told our correspondent that the bye-elections might spring surprises.
Balogun said, ” This election will give the youths the opportunity to make a statement with their votes.They expressed their dissatisfaction on the protests in October and I beleive many of them, who are still angry with the ways things are going will want to come out and effect a change.
” I expect that the youths will come out more than before and they will be vigilant at the poll. “
Also, some residents of Ketu area said they would go out to cast their votes for the candidates of their choices.
One of them, Emmanuel Adetilewa, said the prominent parties knew that the electorate could turn against them, thus, they had started to “seriously mobilise” their members and other eligible voters to support their candidates.