Voting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections began on a mixed note on Saturday, as several polling units across the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) reported late arrival of electoral officials, delayed materials, and low voter turnout during the early hours.
Early reports from polling units in Wuse, Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Maitama, Garki, and Asokoro revealed uneven preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with many centres largely empty of voters by mid-morning.
At Polling Unit (PU) 032, Airwaves, Durban Street, Wuse 2, INEC officials, police officers, and an All Progressives Congress (APC) agent were present at 8:29 a.m., but no voter was in sight. Similarly, PU 058 on Sultan Abubakar Way had officials and security personnel in place by 8:48 a.m., but no voters or party agents were observed.
Some units saw better activity later. At PU 007, Security Post along Sultan Abubakar Way, Wuse Zone 2, officials had set up by 8:54 a.m., with party agents and voters checking the register.
At PU 008, Government Secondary School (Zone 3), voting was underway by 9:01 a.m., though turnout remained low. PU 001 near Habib Bank (Zone 1) had voting in progress by 9:34 a.m.
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In other locations, the late arrival of INEC staff delayed voting, leaving early-arriving voters frustrated. At PU 033, Rockview Hotel, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, two Social Democratic Party (SDP) agents and a lone voter who had been waiting since 7 a.m. were present, while officials were yet to arrive at 8:36 a.m.
Even around the State House area, adjacent polling units reported uneven participation: PU 120 had no voters by 10:15 a.m., PU 131 recorded three voters, while PU 121 saw about 15.
Across most centres, voters cited difficulty locating their names on the register, often checking the wrong sections.
Low turnout was also observed in Karu Municipal Area Council. At PU 031 on Court Road opposite Upper Area Court, only four out of 160 registered voters had cast ballots by 10:41 a.m., with an INEC ad hoc staffer noting, “Voters have just been trickling in.” Nearby PU 033 along City College recorded only 16 of 1,380 voters by the same time.
Delays in the delivery of sensitive materials also disrupted voting at several units. At PU 007, LEA Primary School, Pyakasa, a 15-seater bus carrying electoral materials and polling officials arrived at 9:15 a.m., almost an hour after the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start. Voting eventually commenced at 10:30 a.m., but the turnout of patient voters was commendable. Similar delays were reported in Lugbe, ACO, and Chika.
At the Lugbe RAC Centre, sensitive materials had yet to leave the school by 9 a.m., while police and other security agencies were still organising themselves.
The RAC Supervisor explained in a video that they were “still trying to fix things and ensure the safe departure of sensitive materials to the appropriate polling units.” Observers warned that voting in many Lugbe units might not start before 10 a.m., well past the 8:30 a.m. schedule.
Despite the delays, the atmosphere across most polling units was generally peaceful, with voters and party agents on ground as the exercise gets underway.
