5th December, 2015
Photo: Idowu Ogunleye
A low voter turnout was recorded in the Kogi governorship supplementary election in Ankpa and Igalamela/Odolu local government areas of the state on Saturday, as most of the registered voters failed to turn up for accreditation.
NAN reports that the low turnout was visible in Ankpa Local Government Area where results from nine polling units with 6,018 registered voters were cancelled in the Nov.21, election.
NAN further reports that not more than 200 voters were accredited at the affected polling units as at 11:30 a.m.
Although polling officers in various units visited confirmed that electoral materials had arrived the polling units before 8:00 a.m., the officers were seen less busy.
The situation was, however, different from what happened during the Nov. 21 election.
An official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at RCM Primary School polling unit, Ankpa, who preferred anonymity, said “the materials were distributed at the early hours of the day”.
“Although there is low turnout, the Card Readers are working perfectly and the exercise has been very peaceful; no security threats.
“You can see that the security men are relaxing,” he said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Agent at the unit, Abdulazeez Shaibu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Joseph Shaibu, expressed happiness over the conduct of the exercise, so far.
At Ankpa Ward 2, Unit 001 in Ajobe, out of the 400 registered voters, only 77 had been accredited as at 11:30 a.m.
Also at Oforachi Ward 1, Unit 001, in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area, the exercise recorded low turnout as only 10 eligible voters turned up for accreditation as at about 10:30 a.m.
The Presiding Officer at the unit, who preferred anonymity, said he was hopeful that more people would turnout later, blaming the situation largely on the biting cold in the area.