Independent National Electoral Commission officials did not arrive on time for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections at many of the polling units visited by our correspondent.
For instance, in PU 157, PU 158 , PU 156 and PU 021 all in the Powoyi Area of the Abuja Municipal Area Council the officials arrived the pulling unit at 9:23am.
While accreditation and voting started at 10:45 am.
Also, at the polling Unit in Alayeta primary school in Chika, the INEC officials arrived at 10am.
There was no INEC officials in Polling Units 11 and 12 in Karu area of the FCT as at 8:30am for an election scheduled to commence at 8am.
Meanwhile, the airport road was deserted following the restriction of moment order by the FCT commissioner of police, Babaji Sunday
As at twenty minutes past 12 noon, voting activities have not yet commenced in some parts of Karu ward visited on Saturday during the FCT Council polls.
ANN correspondent, who monitored the exercise in Karu Council Ward of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), reported that no single voter was seen at the Polling unit in front of Karu Primary Health Care, code 038.
The Presiding Officer (PO) in charge of the unit, Mr. Ahmed Yahaya, attributed this to low voter education and awareness by the political actors and groups in the area.
“This is past 12 noon and no single voter has come out, either for accreditation or voting. We have been waiting here since morning and this is noon already”, the PO told our reporter.
Both political agents of the Action Alliance (AA), Daben Sa’a; All Progressives Congress (APC), Luka Bernard and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chris Ndubuisi, attested to the fact that enough campaigns were done to mobilize voters, but the unit was delineated newly.
Also at the Old Chief Palace’s unit 036 (under the mango tree), the Presiding Officer, Bashiru Umar expressed worry that no single vote had been recorded.
According to him, “they have refused to come out to vote despite our readiness for the exercise since morning”.
Again, the agents of APC, Hassan Jezhi and that of the PDP, Lucky Edoka, said the unit was newly carved out of an existing polling station, citing that as reason for low turnout.
It could be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had fixed Saturday, 12th February, 2022, for the election into Councillorship and Chairmanship positions across the 6 Council Areas within the FCT.
A total of 478 candidates from 14 political parties are participating in this election across the six area councils.
