Some voters at the Durumi II Polling Unit in the Abuja Municipal Area Council have raised concerns over the omission of names from the voter register during the Federal Capital Territory Area Council election on Saturday.
A large turnout of voters was observed at the polling unit. However, several prospective voters complained that their names were missing from the register pasted on the wall for verification.
According to findings at the polling unit, names beginning with the letters C, E, H, and I were not visible on the displayed register, and the names under those alphabetical categories could not be found on the list.
One of the affected voters, Chidi Uchechi, said, “I didn’t see my name there. Names beginning with C aren’t on the register pasted here.”
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Another affected voter expressed frustration over the development, alleging possible foul play.
“These INEC officials know what they are doing. Why will some names be omitted? Maybe they want the election to be rigged,” the voter said.
In addition to the concerns over missing names, some voters and party agents were seen protesting what they described as poor coordination of the voting process.
The agents reportedly engaged in heated exchanges over the management of the exercise at the polling unit.
The chairmanship election in the Abuja Municipal Area Council is being contested by candidates of major political parties, with voters turning out across polling units to determine who will lead the council for the next term. The exercise is part of the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections taking place across the six area councils.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were seen attending to voters and party agents at the Durumi II Polling Unit, while security operatives maintained order as accreditation and voting continued. Some party representatives, however, insisted that all complaints regarding omitted names should be properly documented.
Observers noted that while voting proceeded for those whose names appeared on the register, affected voters called on electoral authorities to urgently address the discrepancies to ensure that the chairmanship election in the council area reflects the will of all eligible voters.
