FCT Council poll: Low voter turnout, late start mar poll in Kubwa as APC candidate expresses optimism
Low voter turnout and the late arrival of electoral officials characterised voting in some parts of Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, as residents trickled into polling units on Saturday. Our
Low voter turnout and the late arrival of electoral officials characterised voting in some parts of Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, as residents trickled into polling units on Saturday.
Our correspondents, who monitored the exercise in Kubwa, observed that in several polling units, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sat waiting for voters to arrive before commencing the accreditation and voting process.
At the Brick City polling unit, the process started behind schedule following the late arrival of INEC officials and election materials.
Similarly, along Gadonasko Way, only pockets of voters were seen when our reporters visited the area.
At Lagos Street in Kubwa, turnout was also low, with electoral officers patiently awaiting voters.
In some of the polling units monitored, voting did not commence at the stipulated time due to delays in the distribution of election materials.
Despite the slow start in certain areas, the exercise remained largely peaceful.
Speaking after casting his vote at Dutsen Alhaji LEA Primary School, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Bwari Area Council election, Joshua Musa, commended the conduct of the poll.
“This is what we want to see in our democracy, where voters will come out freely and vote for their candidates,” he said.
Musa, however, experienced a slight hitch during accreditation as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) initially failed to capture his details.
“I guess it is because my card is getting defaced. I will redo my voter card so that it can be seamless,” he explained.
Expressing confidence in his chances, the APC candidate declared that his party was on course for victory.
“You can see we are cruising to victory already. The star is leading everybody to APC in the FCT,” he said.
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He pledged to focus on skills acquisition and economic empowerment if elected.
“We will empower our people to acquire skills and not depend on just salaries. We have to get to the level where our people can do two to three jobs so that families can be liberated,” Musa stated.
He also praised ongoing infrastructural developments in the Federal Capital Territory, attributing them to the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“Mr. President has done well through the FCT Minister. We see developmental projects that we have never seen before. The people of the FCT can see that there is governance for the first time in many years. Look at the roads with street lights — we have never had them like that before,” he said.
“We want more of these projects. That is why we have decided to support and stay with the APC government from the Federal, State, and LGAs,” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, voting was ongoing in most of the polling units visited, though turnout remained below expectations in parts of Kubwa.
