3rd June, 2017
Council elections in Benue on Saturday commenced behind scheduled time in Makurdi due to late arrival of electoral officials and materials at polling stations.
Ex-Servicemen polling unit, where officials and materials arrived first in the state capital, received them at about 11a.m., delaying the exercise by three hours.
Accreditation and voting commenced at the units in the area at about 11.30 a.m., while it started at 11.50 a.m. L.G.E.A. Primary School, Wurukum.
At 12.10 p.m. voters who had turned out at Wailomayo Secondary School polling centre, sat around waiting for the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) officials and materials.
One of the officials, who pleaded anonymity, attributed late arrival of materials and officials at polling stations to delay by BSIEC in distributing the materials.
According to the official, we were at the commission’s headquarters as early as possible but they did not start distribution of the materials in time, and the process was slow.
The official said that the delay made the commission’s office rowdy as many persons were there jostling to get the materials and move to their units.
The information was confirmed by Mr Philemon Ibu, a polling officer at Ityokyaa Abelanyi unit in Ankpa/Wadata Ward 2, who blamed the electoral commission for the delay.
As at 1.28 p.m., Ibu said only four voters had accredited and voted at the unit.
Turnout of voters was not impressive as many people remained indoors.
However, security was provided at all the units in the city by operatives of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed for the polls.
Solomon Nnder, an agent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Ward 2 units, attributed the unimpressive turnout of voters to apathy, saying that people had lost interest in elections in Nigeria.
At LGEA Primary School unit in Ankpa/Wadata ward 1, the polling officer, Mr Zwa Jeremiah, told NAN that the number of registered voters was 900 but that only seven had accredited and voted as at 1.15 p.m.
The APC agent at the polling unit, Mr Joshua Aga, said that some voters went back to their homes after a long wait for BSIEC officials and materials.
He, however, expressed hope that they would come back to cast their ballots.