WIDESPREAD voter turnout marred Saturday’s governorship and Houses of Assembly polls with some governors and other notable Nigerians lamenting the situation.
Findings showed that low turnout was recorded in many states as more voters boycotted the governorship and state assembly polls compared to the presidential and National Assembly polls held three weeks ago.
In Lagos State, this newspaper observed that at Polling Unit 085, Ward 3, Ikeja, where the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, voted, only 50 out of the 324 registered voters came out to vote.
Tinubu, who voted around 9.30am alongside his wife, Oluremi, however, did not speak with journalists.
But Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who voted at Polling Unit 006 at Ward E3, St. Stephens Nursery and Primary School, Adeniji Adele, Lagos Island LGA, said he was impressed by the voter turnout.
“My wife and I are happy with the turnout at this polling unit,” he said.
In Adamawa State, there was widespread voter apathy.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who voted at Polling Unit 012, Ajiya, Yola, said he had lost confidence in INEC.
Atiku, who came second in the February 25 presidential poll and had rejected the result, said he was skeptical and expected nothing positive from the elections.
But Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who voted at Polling Unit 004, his home town in the Madagali LGA, described the turnout as satisfactory.
In Anambra State, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, lamented that many registered voters did not show up for the state Assembly poll on Saturday.
Obi, who came third in the presidential poll and has also rejected the result, said he believed that the low voter turnout was because the outcome of the February 25 presidential election did not reflect the wishes of the people.
“The electorate were discouraged to come to vote because of what happened in the last poll that did not reflect the people’s wish,” Obi said.
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, also decried the low voter turnout but he commended INEC for the early commencement of the voting process.
Also in Enugu State, there was also low voter turnout.
In Rivers State, one of our correspondents reported that youths were seen playing football on the streets of Port Harcourt, unconcerned about the day’s elections.
The low turnout of voters might not be unconnected to the political tension in the state, coupled with the show of force by the military and the police on Friday.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who voted at Polling Unit 17, Ward 8, Ubima, IKwerre LGA, said there was fear in the air.
He said, “There is voter apathy. I don’t know whether its cuts across the whole of Nigeria, but there is voter apathy in Rivers State. Nobody wants to come out because people are scared.”
In Kwara State, there was also voter apathy despite early arrival of INEC officials.
Lamenting the situation, immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, said, “The process is going on peacefully, but clearly we can all see that the turnout is low; people are still a little bit disappointed at the last elections as INEC has disenfranchised a lot of people.”
The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who voted at Polling Unit 004 Akanbi Ward, Ilorin South LGA, Ilorin, also described the exercise as peaceful.
In Edo State, there was also low turnout of voters. Governor Godwin Obaseki, who voted at Emokpae Primary School Ward 4, Oredo LGA, said the situation could be because of heavy security presence.
The governor said, “This is not the kind of turnout we find or get in elections in this centre. Clearly, the extreme security measures that have been taken should be relaxed. As you can see, there is a total lockdown of the city which is not allowing people to come out to exercise their franchise.
“It is important that we have security but it cannot be this overwhelming because this heavy presence of the security men across the city is a deterrent and scary for most people to stay at their polling units.”
In the KwandeLGA of Benue State, the election was marred by errors on ballot papers.
Our correspondents in Ebonyi and Ekiti states similarly reported voter apathy.
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who voted at Ward 6, Unit 3, Okelele at Ikogosi Ekiti, Ekiti West LGA, however, lauded INEC over improvement on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, describing it as a great value addition to the electoral process.
In Nasarawa State, a former Minister of Information and Director-General of the Nasarawa State PDP Campaign Council, Labaran Maku, blamed poor voter turnout on alleged intimidation by APC agents.
In Borno State, there was also widespread low voter turnout even though there was a timely arrival of election materials.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State expressed confidence that the ruling APC would overwhelmingly win.
However, the Emir of Kano, HRH Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, commended the large turnout of voters for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections.