Niger LG election: Commissioner decries voter apathy

The Niger State Commissioner of Budget and Planning Commission, Alhaji Mamman Musa, has attributed the low turnout of voters during the local government chairmanship elections to lack of proper sensitisation of the electorate.

He said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after casting his vote at the Baban Dabo Primary School in Maikunkele, Bosso Local Government Area of the state.

NAN reports that the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) is conducting Local Government chairmanship and councillors elections across the 25 local government areas of the state.

Musa commended the NSIEC for the early arrival of electoral materials and the security personnel for ensuring peaceful conduct of the election in the area.

“The NSIEC officials arrived at the polling units as early as 5 am, but unfortunately the turnout of voters is very low. This might be as a result of the failure of political parties and NSIEC to sensitise the people before the election.

“The process has been peaceful and I am hopeful at the end of the day, we will record success,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Abubakar Gommina, Chairmanship Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bosso, commended NSIEC for the early arrival of voting materials in Bosso local government area.

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“So far, so good, the election has been peaceful, though the turnout of voters is low,” he said.

He said the low turnout of voters was because people believed that local government election was not as serious as that of the governorship and presidential elections.

“This is the election that people are expected to take seriously because local government is closer to the people, but unfortunately people showed less interest,” he said.

NAN report that at about 12 p.m., voting has yet to commence in Chanchaga local government as electorate were seen at their various polling units waiting for electoral materials.

Hajiya Amina Abubakar, who spoke to NAN at Kofa-Wachiko Polling Unit, expressed disappointment with the non-arrival of electoral materials in the area.

“I have been here with others since 7 a.m., waiting to cast our votes, but to our surprise, NSIEC officials have not arrived. No even security personnel, nobody has explained to us why they are yet to bring election materials,” she said. (NAN)