High turn out in Bauchi but late distribution of electoral materials delay voting exercise

SELYA YARNAP, Bauchi

In Bauchi State, the turn out was impressive but voting in some major polling units in Bauchi metropolis did not commence on time due to late distribution of voting materials.

Some of the polling units, our correspondent noticed that voters and election officials were present in some of the polling centres as voters trooped out enthusiastically to exercise their franchise in the early hours of today.

In Sa’adu Zungur Primary and Secondary School polling center with four voting points, our correspondent saw election officials at the center for the exercise, but voting was yet to commence.

Speaking to our correspondent at the polling unit in Kofar Musa, the presiding officer, Gofwen Kopshamg said the election materials did not arrive the polling unit on time because of the cumbersome nature of distribution of the materials .

According to him,”the distribution of the voting materials took time to be sorted out at the Residential Area Centre at Shakal Primary School. We are not the only officials there, so many election officials were there, struggling to collect their own”.

In their reaction, the INEC Acting Head of Voter’s Education and Publicity in Bauchi, Alhaji Ahmed Waziri, said the late distribution of voting materials was due to logistic problems encountered at the various distribution centres in Bauchi metropolis.

He said: “The distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials is done in batches. We usually distribute the materials rigth from the state to local government area who in turn distributes it to the registration areas”

According to him, “The polling units in the state were supposed to start the election by 8.am as slated, but in some instances, such as the case of Bauchi Local Government where we have large number of registered voters, such delays are expected. We have sent our reinforce team to such polling centres to ensure voting commence”.

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