Council elections were held in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday.

The polls, conducted to elect council chairmen and councillors, were held in Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the elections with support from security agencies and other stakeholders.

It is the only council poll conducted by the national electoral umpire and 473 candidates from 14 political parties were expected to participate.

Of the figure, 363 contestants were vying for the 62 councillorship positions in the six area councils.

This photo shows a crowd of voters going through the INEC register to check for their names at one of the polling units of the area council election in Abuja on February 12, 2022. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

The elections are conducted every three years, including bye-elections as the need arises.

Elections In Kuje, Bwari

In Kuje Area Council, the Channels Television crew covering the exercise observed that voters arrived early at most of the polling units.

A large number of electorate was seen as residents cluster in groups, going through the INEC voters’ lists to ascertain where they would cast their ballot.

A physically challenged man displays his voter’s cards at one of the polling units of the area council election in Abuja on February 12, 2022. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

However, the exercise did not commence at 8:30am as scheduled by INEC. Voting started at 10am at the polling units at Passali Old Chief Palace, while the exercise began some minutes later at the polling units in Kayarda.

Some of the voters complained about the failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to recognise them, even though their names were on the register.

Just like the situation in Kuje, residents in Bwari Area Council turned out to vote for candidates of their choice as the exercise continued.

At Polling Unit 002 in Tokulo, sensitive and non-sensitive materials arrived at the centres at 8:30am, but voting did not start until about 9:45 am.

Concerns were also raised about the functionality of the BVAS which took a while before voters were captured, even from the incumbent Chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya.

This photo shows three women displaying their voter’s cards while waiting in a queue at a polling unit during the area council election in Abuja on February 12, 2022. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

INEC Ready

Days before the elections, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, told stakeholders at a meeting that the electoral umpire was prepared to conduct the exercise.

Some of the actions taken, he stated, included conducting Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) over a period of six months, printing of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), and making them available for collection by the electorate.

According to the INEC chief, there are enough ad-hoc staff engaged and trained for the election, and non-sensitive materials were promptly deployed to the various area councils.

An ad-hoc electoral official is seen at a polling unit during the area council election in Abuja on February 12, 2022. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

He had revealed that the electoral umpire procured non-pharmaceutical materials to protect voters and its personnel from COVID-19, in line with its policy based on the protocols prescribed by health authorities.

“Transport arrangements have been made, including motorcycles for remote locations and boats for riverine areas,” he said during the meeting held on Tuesday. “We shall deploy assistive devices such as braille ballot guide and magnifying glasses for the physically challenged voters.”

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