Just 10%? — Wike Voices Concern Over Low Voter Turnout In FCT Elections

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout recorded in parts of the ongoing Area Council elections in Abuja. According to Ireporter Online, the minister voiced his disappointment while inspecting several polling units and engaging with electoral officials on duty.

During a visit to a polling unit in Karshi, Wike reportedly encountered only electoral personnel without the presence of voters. In a brief exchange with officials, he inquired about the level of participation and was informed by an ad-hoc staff member of the National Youth Service Corps that turnout stood at approximately 10 per cent of registered voters. Reacting with surprise, the minister questioned the timeline for the commencement of vote counting and was told that collation was scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. He expressed hope that participation figures would improve before the close of voting.

Meanwhile, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Moses Paul, attributed the low turnout to movement restrictions imposed during the exercise. He described voter participation as significantly below expectations and argued that the directive had created confusion among residents.

Paul, who noted that he has lived in the Abuja Municipal Area Council for about four decades, stated that he had never witnessed such a scenario. He likened the situation to a state of emergency and maintained that the measures taken were unnecessary.