A mother thumb prints her finger to be accredited to vote at a polling station in Daura, Katsina State, during presidential elections on March 28, 2015. Voting in Nigeria’s general election has been extended to March 29 in 300 out of 150,000 polling stations, the electoral commission said, after technical glitches marred polling nationwide. AFP PHOTO
Low voter turnout characterised the Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections in many parts of the country on Saturday, correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.
Voters who commented on the issue included the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor , Mr Damishi Luka, and a former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo.
Speaking with NAN shortly after casting his vote at polling unit 003 in Ningo, Akwanga Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, Luka expressed disappointment over the low turnout of eligible voters for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
Luka, who was the State Coordinator of Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, attributed the apathy to the result of the presidential election which did not favour his party, the PDP.
“The people are disappointed at the outcome of the presidential election and that was why they were discouraged to come out to vote as they did during the March 28, presidential and National Assembly elections.”
He, however, said that the PDP would emerge victorious in the election and urged voters to maintain peace before and after the polls.
He noted that the problem experienced with the card readers during the presidential and National Assembly elections also occurred, but added that the process was better compared to the previous election.
Luka urged those vying for elective positions to accept defeat and exercise the spirit of sportsmanship by congratulating those who won as President Goodluck Jonathan had done.
Similarly in Keffi, Nasarawa State, NAN also observed low turnout of registered voters for accreditation in most of the polling units visited in the area.
Some voters in the area told NAN in separate interviews that the poor turnout was a function of the result of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on March 28.
In Ekiti, former Gov. Niyi Adebayo also expressed concern over the poor turnout of voters in the state assembly election in the state.
Adebayo, who spoke with NAN at his Iyin Ekiti country home, blamed politicians and parties for not doing enough sensitisation and mobilisation of their supporters.
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