97-Year-Old Great Grandfather Defies Age, Casts Vote in Osun Poll

At 97, Pa Isaac Adeniran Adesanmi has demonstrated that age is no barrier to civic participation, as he joined other voters to cast his ballot in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.

The nonagenarian, who is also a great-grandfather, was brought to NUD Primary School, Collation Centre, Unit 1, Ward 4, Ilase Ijesa, in Obokun Local Government Area, by his relatives to exercise his franchise.

For Adesanmi, voting is more than a routine electoral exercise — it is a civic responsibility he has embraced for decades.

Speaking with journalists, the 97-year-old said he had never stopped voting since he first participated in an election during the era of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

“I am 97 years old and I started voting during the time of Awolowo. I always vote anytime election comes up. I have been voting in Kaduna before I came back home,” he said.

However, his determination to vote was briefly tested when the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failed to capture his face and fingerprint during accreditation.

INEC officials subsequently asked him to remain patient, assuring him that they would make another attempt to accredit him.

Adesanmi, whose name appeared as number 116 on the voters’ register, also used the opportunity to urge young Nigerians to take the electoral process seriously.

“I will advise youths to vote because if they do not, the kind of leaders they want will not be there.

“My message for Nigerians is to continue to vote at all cost and vote for the people they like.”

Asked what he expected from whoever emerges winner of the election, the 97-year-old had a simple message: “I want them to do as they promise.”

His appearance at the polling unit served as a striking reminder that, despite his age, he remains committed to participating in the democratic process and exercising his right to vote.