…laments late opening of polls
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has decried the late commencement of voting in many polling units in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Situation Room, a coalition of over 70 CSOs advocating for credible elections in the country, said reports from its network of observers across the FCT showed a relatively late opening of polls, with an average time of 9:15 a.m. in many observed polling units.
In its interim report on the election, the Situation Room said vote buying was also observed in many visited polling units.
“In a few places, it was done openly in polling units such as PU008, 056, 057, and 058 in Gidan Mangoro Ward of AMAC, where votes were traded for as much as N10,000 each. In some other places, vote buying was discreet but still observed,” it added.
“In places like Kwali Area Council, INEC personnel and materials arrived on time, and voting began early. While we acknowledge the timely opening of polls in a very few voting locations, we note late openings in many others, owing to the late arrival of INEC staff and materials.
“Residents were seen going about their normal business during the early hours of voting, mostly in AMAC. However, turnout began slowly, with people taking their time to come out, and queues are now forming in many polling units in Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji Area Councils.
“Voters were also seen trying to locate their polling units, which had been moved to nearby sites. Although some voters acknowledged receiving text messages from INEC on the eve of the election, they were unable to verify the locations due to the short notice.
“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) performed efficiently, with a one-minute average turnaround time for voter accreditation in the majority of polling units. However, two reports of BVAS malfunctions came from Gwako town/Primary School II & IV, Gwagwalada, and PU143 (Open Space opposite Okada Park by Gate post, Navy Town, City Centre, Abuja).
“Situation Room observers reported a significant presence of security personnel at polling units, ranging from the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence, Immigration Service, and Fire Service. The Situation Room also observed that they displayed a high level of professionalism and were very courteous.
“Although there were a few reports of intimidation and harassment in locations such as Grade 1 Area Court, Rubochi, Kuje; Naharati Sabo School II, Rimba/Ebagi; and PU3, UNG Liman/UNGWAR LIMAN 1, Abaji Central; and Kpasele JSS, Giri II, Gwagwalada—where a voter arrived with a cutlass and youths charged at him—the situation was swiftly handled by security agents who took him away.
“There was a noticeable presence of party agents in many visited polling units. Although not all parties were represented at the same time, agents were visible in the polling units. In PU026 (Kayada Primary School, Kuje), a party agent was seen wearing a party agent tag and an INEC Assistant Presiding Officer (APO) jacket.
“Most visited polling units did not have assistive materials. Form EC30E (for the deaf) was visible in most observed polling units, but braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses were not deployed. In Karimajiji—a disability colony—none of the aforementioned assistive materials, including Form EC30E, was deployed.
“Some voters with disabilities seen in PU052 (Mombolo Street, Wuse) also lacked access to assistive materials.”So far, we commend the INEC FCT Help Desk for their prompt response to issues raised by the Situation Room.
“We call on all stakeholders to maintain the calm observed in the political environment and urge security agencies to continue displaying the professionalism they have already shown as we head toward poll closure and collation,” the report further read.
It was jointly signed by two Co-Conveners of the Civil Society Situation Room, Mma Odi and Celestine Odo.
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