Voting at several polling units in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, faced significant challenges on Saturday as electoral officers struggled with technical glitches, low voter turnout, and logistical shortcomings.
At Polling Unit 046, voters experienced delays due to malfunctioning Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS), which took unusually long to capture each voter. Some voters were turned away as the BVAS captured only one person at a time while declining five others.
Speaking to our correspondent at about 12:15 p.m., the Presiding Officer, Abdullahi Yusuf, expressed frustration over the situation.
Yusuf complained that supervising presiding officers failed to perform their duties properly.
According to him, the lack of chairs at the polling unit forced officials to retrieve seats from classrooms to attend to voters, only to be harassed by security personnel.
Yusuf also highlighted low voter participation, noting that out of 770 registered voters, only 20 had been accredited at the time. He added that the absence of a Ractech officer to monitor the BVAS devices further compounded the problems. He warned that if voter turnout increased, the lack of adequate seating and tables could have led to disorder at the unit.
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Similar challenges were reported at other polling units. At Polling Unit 044, Presiding Officer Abdul Hussaini said voting began at 8:30 a.m., but turnout remained low. Out of 775 registered voters, only 50 had come to vote as of 12:40 p.m.
At Polling Unit 048, Presiding Officer Ahmed Tijani Baba raised concerns over low participation, reporting that only 40 of 753 registered voters had been accredited so far.
Observers and electoral officials at the units attributed the low turnout to a combination of technical setbacks, logistical gaps, and delays in public awareness about voter transfers.
Residents expressed impatience but remained hopeful that the electoral commission would address the challenges promptly to allow for a smoother voting process in the remaining hours of the exercise.
Esther Ososanya is an investigative journalist with Pinnacle Daily, reporting across health, business, environment, metro, Fct and crime. Known for her bold, empathetic storytelling, she uncovers hidden truths, challenges broken systems, and gives voice to overlooked Nigerians. Her work drives national conversations and demands accountability one powerful story at a time.
