FCT Polls: Voter Apathy Mars Election In Bwari As Residents Stay Away

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections witnessed a dramatic slump in voter turnout yesterday in the Bwari area council, mirroring the low participation recorded earlier in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Across several polling units in Bwari, electoral officials were left idle for hours as eligible voters stayed away from the process, raising questions about the credibility of the exercise.

At Polling Unit 018 in Kuduru ward, located in front of Naza Pharmacy opposite the Emir’s place, the situation was particularly dire.

Out of 159 registered voters, officials lamented that not a single voter was in sight as the 2:30 pm closing time approached.

The story was similar at LEA Primary School, Dutse Buapma, behind Shafa Filling Station.

In Polling Unit 059, out of 1,911 registered voters, only 60 had cast their ballots as of 2:00 pm. In the same school, Polling Unit 057 recorded just over 60 voters out of 602, while at Polling Unit 055, which has 750 registered voters, the scene was one of complete desertion, with bored electoral officials seen sleeping at their posts.

“I have been here since morning, but the people are just not coming. We are ready to work, but there is no one to vote,” a weary official at Polling Unit 055 told Leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At LEA Primary School, Bmuko 1, the numbers told a similar tale of disinterest. Polling Unit 058 saw only 82 voters from a register of 501, while Polling Unit 054 recorded just 127 voters out of 776 registered by 2:29 pm.

Technical hitches also marred the process in some areas. An elderly woman, who was expected to be the last voter at one of the Bmuko units, was turned away after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine failed to capture her fingerprints, despite successfully registering her face.

As of the time of filing this report, sorting and counting of votes had commenced, with party agents keeping a close watch on INEC officials and warning against any extension of voting time.

Residents who spoke to our reporter attributed the widespread apathy to a last-minute legal twist that altered the political landscape.

Mrs. Gloria Bello, a resident of the Bwari town, claimed that the Supreme Court’s recent judgment affirming Joshua Ishaku as the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate had alienated voters who supported a different aspirant.

“Many of us decided to stay away because of what happened with the APC candidate.

“Haruna Audi Shekwolo is the most popular candidate in this community. His displacement at the last minute is the reason why many voters are ignoring this exercise. We feel our choice has been taken away from us,” she said.

End.