Just 18 voters out of the 1,464 registered voters had cast their ballots as of 11:15am at Galadima Gwarimpa, Abuja Model City, Polling Units 001 and 009 in the ongoing Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections on Saturday.
Presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development.
Polling Unit 001 has 750 registered voters, while Polling Unit 009 has 714, DAILY POST reports. However, DAILY POST correspondence observed noticeably low turnout at both centers at the time of filing this report.
Speaking after casting his vote, an Abuja resident, Benson Idoko, attributed the poor turnout to possible voter disillusionment.
“I don’t know whether it is due to lack of faith in the leadership. Ordinarily, there should be a huge turnout because it is a local election,” he said.
Voting commenced around 9:00am, with security personnel deployed to maintain order and prevent any breakdown of law and order.
Earlier reports indicated voter apathy in polling units in Dawaki, where some residents expressed dissatisfaction with local government leadership.
In contrast, polling units in Garki recorded a relatively significant turnout.
FCT Election: Only 16 of 1,464 registered voters turned out in Galadima, Gwarimpa