Voting activities were severely affected in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) on Saturday as a large number of residents stayed away from polling units during the FCT Area Council election.
Findings by our reporter across several polling units revealed a near-total absence of voters, with voter apathy dominating the exercise.
At Polling Unit 110, located beside Government Secondary School (GSS), Garki, only three voters were observed as of the time of visit. The unit was also short of essential materials, including ink for thumbprinting. The presiding officer was reportedly heard appealing to a police officer attached to the unit to help source water to moisten the ink pad so an elderly woman could vote.
The police officer, however, expressed dissatisfaction, lamenting the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adequately provide election materials despite the funds allocated for the conduct of the poll.
Similarly, at Polling Unit 115 in Area 10, opposite Garki General Hospital, only three out of 44 registered voters had cast their ballots as of 10:00 a.m. INEC ad hoc staff at the unit were seen engaged in casual conversations, attributing the low turnout to voters’ disinterest.
“We cannot go from house to house forcing people to vote,” one of the officials told our reporter.
At Polling Unit 041, Area 3, Garki, behind Sterling Bank along Tafawa Balewa Way, no voter had turned up as of 10:05 a.m., despite an expectation of 10 voters.
The situation was more striking at Polling Unit 12, located in front of the University of Abuja Sustainable Development Centre, Area 3, Garki, where only 20 voters had participated out of an expected 1,900 as of 10:30 a.m.
An ad hoc staff member at the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the poor turnout on widespread loss of confidence in the electoral process.
“Many people believe the outcome of elections is already decided. That feeling discourages them from coming out to vote,” the official said.
Meanwhile, observations around Garki showed many residents loitering in public spaces, openly expressing a lack of interest in the election when approached by our reporter.
