Low turnout, vote-buying, logistical gaps mar FCT council polls

…Wike, others express worry

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections commenced on Saturday amid tight security, but the exercise was characterised by low voter turnout, reports of vote-buying, logistical setbacks and late arrival of electoral officials in several polling units.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had cleared 17 political parties to contest the six chairmanship and sixty-two councillorship slots in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali

Low turn out

Voter turnout across monitored locations remained low, even as electoral officials completed final preparations for the exercise in several polling units.

There was low voter turnout in some polling units across Lugbe, under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), as residents stayed away from the elections.

In some polling units, election officials and security personnel outnumbered voters. At Polling Unit 007, only a handful of residents were seen at the site at press time.

According to an election official, more than 8,000 voters were registered at Polling Unit 007, a figure that contrasts with the turnout recorded. Despite the number of registered voters, there was no queue at the accreditation desk, and officials were idle due to the absence of voters.

Read also: Low turnout, vote-buying, logistical gaps mar FCT council polls

A similar scene occurred at the Penthouse Polling Unit in Lugbe, where security personnel were present, but no voters were seen at the time of filing this report.

Voting across several polling units in AMAC, Karu and Nyanya was marked by low turnout and delayed commencement as logistical setbacks and the late arrival of officials slowed the start of the elections.

At Sheda Sarki II, Ungwan Ganagana, Kilankwa Ward, LEA Primary School in Kwali Area Council, electoral officials were largely idle as of 11:18pm, with no visible voting activity. Officials attributed the situation to low turnout, noting that only six voters had cast their ballots out of hundreds registered at the unit.

Low turnout was also recorded at Unit 039, Phase III JSS IV Staff Quarters in Gwagwalada Area Council, where only a handful of voters were present.

At Unit 036, FHA Kubwa Model Primary School Premises III, Usuma in Bwari Area Council, turnout was fewer than 30 voters out of 564 registered, when BusinessDay reporters visited the unit.

Similarly, at Unit 313, Junction by Model, Usuma, turnout remained low. However, INEC officials clarified that the unit had been relocated during a previous election, citing this as reason for the low turn out.

At Unit 018, LEA Primary School, Kilankwa Ward in Kwali, only one voter had cast a ballot as of 11am. Party agents from the PDP and ADP were present, waiting for voters. A resident attributed the low turnout to confusion over the voter register, saying many could not locate their names.

Speaking with BusinessDay, at unit 001, Kabusa, Tolu John, the Presiding Officer, said the polling unit had 2,044 registered voters.

“Accreditation and voting started at about 8:45am. We have 2,044 registered voters here, and so far over 200 accredited voters have cast their ballots,” John said.

Meanwhile, at Unit 035, Enugu/Naukka Street, Garki in Abuja Municipal Area Council, the presiding officer reported that out of 96 registered voters, only 20 presented themselves for accreditation and voting.

Read also: Wike hails peaceful FCT council polls, laments low voter turnout

Officials added that although the BVAS fingerprint function malfunctioned, facial recognition was successfully used to verify voters.

Voting in parts of Karu and Nyanya commenced on a sluggish note Saturday morning, as delayed arrival of officials and logistical setbacks delayed the exercise.

Several polling units were still being set up as of 8:30 am, while voter turnout remained visibly low, with residents expressing frustration over the slow start.

Haruna Audi, former chairmanship aspirant of the APC, in Bwari, however, expressed concern over the low voter turnout in the elections.

Audi, who was replaced by Joshua Ishaku, the APC candidate, cast his vote at Polling Unit 001, Ushafa I & II, Ushafa Primary School, where he noted that the low turnout was worrisome, and attributed it partly to dissatisfaction among APC members over what he described as internal imposition during the candidate selection process.

Logistical issues delay voting

Logistical delays also characterised the elections in some polling units across area councils.

At Park and Gardens, Polling Unit 005 in AMAC City Centre, officials of INEC commenced voting behind schedule, citing logistical challenges.

Similarly, at Polling Unit 011 in Area 2, Garki, voting opened slowly with only four voters on the queue as of 9:14 am, despite a register of 863 voters.

The presiding officer told BusinessDay that the unit had been ready since 8:30 am, but turnout remained low. At Sabon Tasha, New Development in Abaji, concerns emerged after two voters were observed sharing a voting cubicle simultaneously.

At a polling unit in Nyanya, Presiding Officer Muslim Abraham, confirmed that they were still setting up as of 8:30 am, citing logistics challenges as the cause of the delay when BusinessDay visited the area.

In Karu, at the Nngwar Ginar Health Care polling unit, another Presiding Officer, Sameeah, attributed the late commencement to the non-availability of basic furniture needed for operations.

Voters stranded over missing names

However, voting in parts of Kwali Area Council was disrupted by confusion over voter registers and allegations of voter inducement.

At Unit 002, Pilot Science Nursery and Primary School, Kwali Ward, several voters were stranded after failing to locate their names on the register despite arriving early to cast their ballots.

As of about 9:30 am, many were seen moving between notice boards searching for their details.

A technical staff of INEC, however, explained that the difficulty stemmed from the redistribution of voters after densely populated polling units were split and reassigned to nearby centres to ease congestion.

One of the voters, Juma Bako, expressed frustration, saying she felt excluded while others around her voted.

Read also: FCT Polls: APC leads in chairmanship, councillorship election at Kabusa 001

Vote buying

Meanwhile, at Polling Unit 012 in Kwali Primary School II, some men alleged to be supporters of the APC were observed writing down names and distributing sachets of water to voters in the queue, raising concerns about vote buying.

At LEA Primary School, Old Kutunku, allegations of vote buying surfaced, with party agents exchanging accusations. One of the voters alleged that ballots were being traded for between N500 and N3,000, depending on negotiations.

At LEA Primary School, Kilankwa Ward, groups of accredited voters, mostly women, were seen moving around the polling unit as of 11:10am, insisting they would not vote without financial incentives.

They argued that previous elections had yielded little improvement in their living conditions, expressing doubts that voting alone would bring change.

No specific amount was mentioned, but a PDP agent alleged that money was being distributed at the polling unit and claimed some individuals collected cash from multiple parties without voting.

Late arrival of electoral officials

Late arrival of electoral officials was also experienced in some polling units across the FCT.

At Polling Unit 012 in Alaiyta, voting had not commenced as of 9:30 am, due to the absence of electoral materials and officials.

Voting was also delayed at Polling Unit 051 in Wupa, Idu Ward, following the late arrival of officials and election materials, leaving voters stranded for hours before the process could begin.

The exercise also took off late in some parts of Kuje, as INEC officials arrived late. At the Kuchiayako Primary School Polling Unit, none of the electoral officials had arrived, as at 7.40 am.

Wike laments low turn out

Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout in the elections, describing participation levels at some polling units as disappointing.

During a tour of several voting centres, the minister stopped at a polling unit in Karshi, where he found only electoral officials present and no voters in sight.

Speaking with a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving as an ad-hoc official, Wike asked about turnout and was told that only about 10 per cent of registered voters had showed up.

When informed that counting was scheduled to begin by 2:30 pm, the minister expressed hope that turnout would still improve before the close of polls.

Confusion over ‘withdrawal’

Meanwhile, confusion surrounded the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship race following the circulation of two conflicting letters purportedly announcing the withdrawal of candidates of the APC and the PDP.

One of the letters, allegedly signed by APC candidate Yahaya Usman, claimed he had stepped down from the contest in the interest of peace and progress in Gwagwalada.

Moments later, a similar letter surfaced online, purportedly from the PDP candidate, stating he too had withdrawn in favour of his APC rival.

Both letters, dated February 19 and titled, ‘Withdrawal from contesting for chairmanship position of Gwagwalada Area Council FCT election,’ carried nearly identical wording, raising suspicion among party supporters and voters.

The results of the elections are expected to the announced by INEC in due course.