The Saturday local government council election for chairmen and councilors in all the 25 local government councils in Niger state was generally peaceful but not without pockets of violence basically due to insufficient electoral materials by the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC). While there were well pronounced turn-out of voters for the election which has so far claimed a life and scores of others injured in Bida, others such as farmers and artisans went about their day’s businesses claiming that, ‘the government cannot feed us’. Accreditation started well as early as 8am in most places but soon became rowdy in some areas when voters discovered particularly that ballot papers provided by NSIEC is not in commensuration with the number of registered voters in the affected polling units.
Again, notwithstanding that the election had been due for November, 2015 but was postponed by the state government, election did not take place in Suleja, one of the commercial nerve centres of Niger state due to ‘logistics’ problems which the NSIEC had said is beyond their explains.
Combined team of police and the military saved electoral officials on duty from mob attack as voters discovered that ballot papers in virtually all the polling units in Gwada, Shiroro local government area and demanded explanations from the electoral officials or face the wrath of the people.
Full Article: Nigeria: Niger Council Poll Peaceful but Mar By Low Turn-Out of Voters – allAfrica.com.
