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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Election day in Mpape area brought an unexpected calm, with low voter turnout, delayed polling unit setups, and normal business activities overshadowing the polls, even as military checkpoints strictly enforced a curfew elsewhere in the city.
Observers at Mpape Primary School, hosting over 15 polling units, reported that only about 30% of units were operational by 9:30 a.m., with voters trickling in far below expectations. “The number of expected voters, they are trickling in, they are not up to expectation,” said Participant 1, a roving monitor who recently left the site. Despite the delays, the atmosphere remained peaceful, with police, NSCDC officers, and ICPC personnel on site to curb vote buying and selling.
Strikingly, Mpape lacked the usual “election vibe.” Shops stayed open, markets buzzed, and the area’s notorious traffic persisted unabated. “When you are coming into Mpape, you expect to see that there is this election vibe that should be happening, but it’s not happening. The normal business, usual bubbling of business and everything is still going on,” a voter noted. He linked the open businesses directly to voter apathy: “The businesses that are open as if there’s no election and is clear that is is voters’ apathy… people are doing their business and all that, the Okada people are riding.”
Just a short drive away on the Maitama express en route to Polo Junction, the scene shifted dramatically. Heavy military checkpoints halted motorists, enforcing the curfew regardless of election duties. “They (security personnel) said motorists should stop there, that there’s a curfew in place… it’s none of their business if you are trapped, and the government has put in place curfew,” recounted a Nigerian Infor Reporter, who gained passage only after identifying as an essential election worker. “We showed our identity card and we were asked why didn’t we come out earlier but we explained we’re roving, we’re not covering just one place.”
