Voters and election observers have commended the ongoing Federal Capital Territory election for being largely peaceful but expressed concern at the significant low voter turnout.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday, some of them attributed the development to the fact that many people had traveled to their states to cast their votes.
However, Mr Orji Chinedu, the Presiding Officer of Polling Unit 009 in the Karu area of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), noted that the exercise has been largely peaceful and that the card readers were working well.
“There is low turnout but we are doing our best to comply with the electoral guidelines for voting,” Chinedu said.
Similarly, Mr Jacob Mba, Presiding Officer for Kofar Gidan Saraki, Polling Unit 001A, also observed the low turnout in the area, adding that the unit experienced card reader malfunction at the commencement of accreditation and voting.
He said that the problem was quickly resolved and the process proceeded peacefully.
Meanwhile, Mr Ben Aged, an election Observer from the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), who monitored election at Customs Quarters, Polling Unit 011, said the election in the unit was peaceful.
Aged further said that the election officials arrived the unit early enough, while card readers were functioning properly but that the turnout was low.
Mr Yahaya Sumaila, a businessman who cast his vote at polling unit 010, said he was impressed with the peaceful conduct of the election.
On the turnout, Sumaila said it was expected, as most residents of Karu were not FCT indigenes and might have traveled to their various states for the governorship and house of assembly elections.
Another voter, Mrs Justina Malau, who also voted at Polling Unit 010, said the process was peaceful.
NAN reports that election officials, sensitive and non-sensitive materials arrived at the various polling units as early as 7:00 a.m.
However, due to the low voter turnout, most polling units had become empty as early as 11:00 a.m. except for few voters trickling in to cast their votes.
At polling unit 001, Orozo Primary School in AMAC comprising 12 polling units, where 5,939 electorate were expected to cast their ballots, some voters gave different reasons for the low turnout.
Chief Okey Nwoke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent, expressed dissatisfaction with the low turnout.
“There is no doubt that the outcome of the last poll also fell below the expectations of the electorate. It is demoralising.
“Last time, this unit was filled up with voters but today, people are reluctant because they have been let down by INEC by not declaring what should be the proper result as collated,” he said.
According to him, if this continues, people will not be involved in the election process again.
Rev. Imeh Dickson, a Domestic Election Observer, decried the low turnout of the electorate as compared with the last polls.
“I feel that people are really discouraged due to the outcome of the last poll which they voted with their hearts,” he said.
Some voters also told NAN that there was little or no sensitisation by the aspirants.
A voter and teacher, Mr Benedict Agim, said that the low turnout could also be ascribed to low sensitisation and failure to imbibe grassroots politics by the aspirants.
He added that low sensitisation and not letting people know their agenda could dampen the spirit of the electorate.
NAN reports that AMAC is the largest of the six FCT area councils with 12 wards — Karu, Nyanya, City Centre, Orozo, Karshi, Wuse, Gui, Garki, Gwagwa, Gwarimpa, Kabusa and Jiwa. (NAN)
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