News Editor
… INEC needs to do enough community sensitisation using various media, says Omeri.
The ongoing area council elections in the federal capital Territory (FCT) has witnessed low to no voter turnout in some polling units due to unawareness of some voters that they have been transferred from their former polling units to newly created units, TMSnews field correspondents report.
This development was discovered across many polling units in Bwari and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
At polling units 049 Government Secondary School Bwari, an empty unit and idle electoral officers were met on ground by TMSnews correspondent. Upon inquiry, the officers said only 6 names are on the voter register and that the voters are yet to show up as at 1:30pm while crowded voters struggle to vote at another polling units less than 5 meters away.
At polling units 010, Jamb headquarters car park, Bwari a similar situation was observed as the polling unit had no voter at the time of visitation. Upon inquiry, the corp members working as electoral officers also lamented that only 6 names are on the voter register.
Similarly, polling units in Garki area of Abuja Municipal Area Council also witnessed same negative scenario where polling units are almost empty. At polling units 046, Tantalizer Garki, only 7 registered voters were displayed at the unit.
Upon further inquiries, TMSnews gathered that polling units with such scenarios were newly created by the independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
Commenting on the development, Dr Mike Omeri OFR, a PDP chieftain said lack of adequate sensitisation on the part of INEC gave birth to the negative development being witnessed at some polling units in the council elections.
Omeri, a former Director General of the National Orientation Agency NOA, said INEC had earlier splitted some polling units and transferred some voters from their former polling units to some newly created polling units near them but because there was no proper communication and sensitisation, the voters being unaware still went to their supposed former units only to be stranded.
“In the Garki general area, up to the chief’s palace, most of the polling units have been splitted but because the voters are not aware that their polling units have been splitted, they still go to the former one and when they get there and don’t find their names on the registers, they become discouraged and go home.
“Going forward, INEC needs to do enough community sensitisation using perhaps, the National Orientation Agency and other such related media organs to infor citizens whose polling units have been splitted and moved to the next location so that they are aware and go there in order to participate in the exercise.” Omeri said.
