Yiaga Africa has described Saturday’s Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as largely peaceful but marked by low voter turnout, logistical delays and cases of vote buying.
In a preliminary report signed by Samson Itodo, Executive Director, and Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programmes, the organisation said it deployed trained observers across the six area councils — Abuja Municipal, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Abaji and Kwali — to “systematically” monitor the conduct of the polls.
In its general assessment, the group noted that voters who turned out were able to cast their ballots without widespread disruption.
“Overall, the election was conducted in a largely peaceful atmosphere. Notwithstanding this enabling environment, voter turnout was generally low, with most polling units recording poor turnout,” the report reads.
However, Yiaga Africa said logistical challenges affected the timely commencement of voting, particularly in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). According to the report, the late deployment of personnel and materials resulted in several polling units opening late.
“According to the preliminary findings as of 1:00 p.m. on election day, observers reported delayed commencement of polling in several units, largely due to logistical inefficiencies and, in some cases, security-related issues,” the report reads.
“In Wuse and Gwarinpa wards, several polling units opened significantly behind schedule. Observers noted that polling officials were still arranging materials and organising the voting environment as at 9:00 a.m., with accreditation and voting commencing only after 10:00 a.m.
“Critical election materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and the voter register, were deployed.
“However, in Polling Unit 004, Wuse Ward, Zone 2 Primary School, the voter register was not available and was only produced after observers raised concerns and voters objected. In addition, essential voting materials were absent in certain locations.”
The group further reported that some voters were reassigned to newly created polling units without prior or adequate notice. Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reportedly sent SMS notifications, many of the messages were delivered on election day — in some cases hours after voting had begun.
This, the organisation said, caused confusion and congestion, with some voters spending over an hour attempting to confirm their designated polling units. It also cited disparities in voter distribution within the same polling locations, describing the situation as an “administrative shortcoming” that contributed to overcrowding.
Yiaga Africa observed heavy security deployment in certain areas, noting that in some instances, the presence of security personnel restricted the movement of accredited observers and limited access to polling units.
The organisation also reported incidents of vote buying despite earlier directives to security agencies to identify and apprehend perpetrators.
“The persistent menace of vote buying once again manifested during the election,” the report added.
The group urged INEC to ensure that Form EC60E — the people’s results sheet — is posted at polling units and that BVAS devices are used to upload Form EC8A results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and transmit them to ward collation centres.
“INEC officials must conduct the collation and declaration of results with the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and professionalism,” Yiaga said.
“INEC should undertake a comprehensive nationwide public engagement campaign to clearly communicate the redeployment of voters to newly created polling units.
“This should include timely voter education, accessible verification tools (such as SMS and online polling unit locators), and collaboration with media, political parties, and civil society to prevent confusion and reduce the risk of voter disenfranchisement in future elections.”
The organisation also called on security agencies to maintain professionalism and impartiality, particularly at collation centres, and urged political parties, candidates and supporters to refrain from disrupting the process.
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