FCT poll: Voting yet to commence in Utako, Karu, Lugbe
Voting had yet to commence in parts of Utako, Karu and Lugbe in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as of the early hours of Saturday’s area council elections, despite the presence of electoral officials and security personnel at designated polling units. In Utako, election officials arrived early at various polling units ahead of the scheduled […]
Voting had yet to commence in parts of Utako, Karu and Lugbe in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as of the early hours of Saturday’s area council elections, despite the presence of electoral officials and security personnel at designated polling units.
In Utako, election officials arrived early at various polling units ahead of the scheduled 8:30am commencement time.
At Polling Unit 012, officials were on ground before 8:30am and were seen arranging election materials in preparation for the exercise. However, accreditation and voting had not started as of 8:33am. No voters were sighted at the unit at the time of filing this report.
Similarly, at Polling Unit 080, Utako Primary School, Registration Area 05, officials were reportedly ready to begin the process, but voting had yet to commence as of 8:33am. The polling unit was also devoid of voters.
Security personnel were visible across polling units in the Utako area, maintaining order as preparations continued.
At LEA Primary School in Karu, under the Abuja Municipal Area Council, voting had also not started as of 8:48am.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present as early as 7:30am but were yet to begin the exercise, reportedly due to low voter turnout.
Across polling units 001, 018, 019, 020, 021, 023 and 027 within the school premises, there were no voters on queue to cast their ballots as of the time of observation. Electoral officers were seen seated and waiting for voters to arrive.
Security presence was also noticeable at the Karu polling units, with personnel of the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed to ensure order.
In Lugbe, at polling units 119 and 120, Daki Biyu Village II (44 Junction), officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were on ground, but there was no presence of voters as of the time of observation. Voting had yet to commence at the polling units.