The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections held on Saturday were marred by low voter turnout, allegations of vote-buying, logistical setbacks, and the late arrival of electoral officials across several polling units.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had cleared 17 political parties to contest six chairmanship and 62 councillorship seats across Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali.
Voter participation remained significantly low in many areas monitored.
In Lugbe (AMAC), election officials and security personnel outnumbered voters at several polling units. At Polling Unit 007, where over 8,000 voters were registered, only a handful turned up. A similar situation was observed at the Penthouse Polling Unit.
In Kwali, only six voters had cast ballots at one unit by late morning, while in another, just one person voted out of hundreds registered. In Bwari, fewer than 30 voters showed up at a polling unit with 564 registered voters.
At Kabusa Unit 001, which had 2,044 registered voters, just over 200 had voted as of mid-morning. In Garki, only 20 out of 96 registered voters participated.
Officials noted that although BVAS fingerprint verification malfunctioned in some locations, facial recognition was successfully deployed.
Several polling units experienced delayed commencement due to logistical issues and the late arrival of officials.
In parts of Nyanya and Karu, polling units were still being set up as of 8:30 am. In Wupa (Idu Ward) and Alaiyta, voting had not begun by 9:30 am due to missing materials and personnel. In Kuje, some officials had not arrived as of 7:40 am.
Other challenges included inadequate furniture and slow setup processes, further discouraging early voters.
In Kwali, many voters were unable to locate their names on the register following the redistribution of polling units. INEC officials explained that densely populated units had been split and reassigned to nearby centres, leading to confusion.
Some affected voters expressed frustration, saying they felt disenfranchised.
Allegations of vote-buying surfaced in several polling units.
At a polling unit in Kwali, individuals were reportedly writing down names and distributing items to voters in the queue. In Old Kutunku, voters alleged that ballots were being exchanged for between ₦500 and ₦3,000.
In another unit, groups of accredited voters reportedly insisted they would not vote without financial incentives, citing dissatisfaction with past election outcomes.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike expressed concern over the low turnout during visits to polling centres. At one unit in Karshi, he was informed that only about 10 per cent of registered voters had participated as of early afternoon.
He described the turnout as disappointing but expressed hope that more voters would show up before the close of polls.
Confusion also trailed the Gwagwalada chairmanship race after two similar letters surfaced online, purportedly announcing the withdrawal of candidates from both the APC and the PDP. The nearly identical wording of the letters raised suspicion among party supporters.
INEC is expected to announce the official results in due course.
