From Aidoghie Paulinus and Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), today, received hard knocks over delay in kick starting accreditation and voting in the Lugbe axis of Abuja.
At 9:51am when The Sun reporters visited Lugbe Primary School, Lugbe, Abuja, voting was yet to commence.
The situation was not different in Across, Lugbe Market, Government Secondary School, Lugbe, Tudun Wada, King of Kings and other baby units such as beside Wamzi Hotel, beside UC Mango Tree, and Indomitable beside the Catholic and ECWA Churches.
Speaking with Sunday Sun, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) agent in Kabusa Ward 009, Lugbe, Sumaila Sule, said with the development, voters at the ward have lost hope in INEC.
“We don’t have hope in INEC because other places are voting and this is 10 o’clock. Up till now, we have not seen any material, nothing, nothing and there is not even a sign that the election is going to take place here.
“So, what is the hope of Nigeria? What is the hope of the common man? INEC should be neutral in this election. In this election, we need free and fair election. We don’t need anything. They should give us free and fair election.
“They should bring materials for us. People who are regretting to vote, they should vote and vote the candidate of their choice,” Sule said.
Earlier, Sule told Sunday Sun that they were not happy with the situation on ground, saying that the situation was absurd.
“This is the first time we are experiencing this kind of thing. They gave us 8 o’clock and we have been here since 7:30am. Up till now, no material, nothing, nothing and there is even no sign that we are doing election.
“And this is almost 10am and we don’t know the time they are going to come. This is a mother unit and you can see people coming and going. So, seriously, INEC should wake up. We have confidence in them that they will do better than 2019,” Sule lamented.
Also speaking, a Member of the International Organization of Human Rights, Development and Environment, Ekundayo Adebiyi, an election observer, said he arrived at the ward at 7:45am but was yet to see INEC officials.
“Now, they should have started and almost through with accreditation, but we are yet to see any INEC official,” Adebiyi said.
However, the situation was different at the Unit 5, Gosa Primary School, Lugbe, where both accreditation and voting commenced at 8:30am.
An INEC Ad hoc Staff, Mohammed Kabiru, who spoke with Sunday Sun, rated the process at 60 percent, saying that one of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was not functioning properly.