Civil society group Yiaga Africa has raised concerns over low voter turnout and administrative hiccups during Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, even as it described the polls as largely peaceful and orderly.
The organisation, which deployed trained and accredited observers to all 62 wards of the FCT, said its preliminary assessment revealed that logistical challenges, inadequate communication to voters, and the movement of security personnel affected the smooth conduct of voting across several areas.
Yiaga Africa’s executive director, Samson Itodo, said observers reported the late arrival of election materials and delayed opening of polling units, particularly in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where several units in Wuse and Gwarinpa opened well past the scheduled start time.
“In several locations, set‑up activities were still ongoing as of 9:00 a.m., and accreditation and voting only began around 10:00 a.m.,” the organisation said, highlighting that delayed starts risked disenfranchising voters who arrived early expecting prompt voting.
Observers also flagged poor voter turnout in most areas monitored, with some polling stations recording only a small fraction of registered voters. Another civil society coalition, Ballot Eye, reported that at one polling unit in Gwarinpa with about 750 registered voters, only 19 people had voted by mid‑day.
Yiaga Africa noted that some voters were reassigned to newly created polling units without timely or effective notice, causing confusion and long delays as voters sought to locate their designated polling points. While INEC sent SMS notifications, many messages arrived after voting had already begun, observers said.
The group also raised concerns that heavy security deployment in certain areas restricted accredited observers’ movement and, in some cases, limited voter access to polling stations. Instances of vote buying were documented, showing that illicit inducement persisted despite directives from INEC and security agencies to curb the practice.
Despite these challenges, Yiaga Africa said the general atmosphere remained calm, with most voters who turned up able to cast their ballots without major disruption.
The organisation urged INEC to enhance communication with voters, ensure posting of polling unit results sheets, and improve logistical planning ahead of future elections. It also called on security agencies to maintain impartiality and political parties to avoid actions that could disrupt the electoral process.
Yiaga Africa said it will continue monitoring the collation process at ward and Area Council centres and track uploads on INEC’s results portal to inform its final assessment of the elections.