Date: 2020-03-15

Accreditation and voting in the by-election in Patigi constituency of Kwara House of Assembly commenced peacefully and on time, but recorded low turnout of voters.

A correspindent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) monitoring the exercise on Saturday in Patigi town and Kpada reports that accreditation and voting commenced simultaneously by 8 a.m.

Most polling units visited were scanty as voters were filing out in droves for accreditation and voting.

NAN also reports that security agents were seen around the voting areas to maintain order and peace.

INEC Head of Voter Education and Publicity in the state, Mr Jacob Ayanda, confirmed to NAN that election materials arrived the polling units before the commencement of accreditation because the Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers slept at the Registration Area Centres (RAC).

Ayanda said that there was no reported case of malfunction Smart Card Readers because three card readers were configured for each of

the polling units to forestall breakdown of card readers. The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara, Malam Garba Attahiru-Madami, also told NAN in Kpada that he was satisfied with the conduct of the by-election.

The REC admitted that the turnout was initially low in the morning, but later picked up, describing the overall turnout as encouraging.

He also said the election was peaceful in Kpada as voters conducted themselves orderly.

Attahiru-Madami commended the ad-hoc staff as well as INEC officials for reporting promptly to their respective polling units.

NAN recalls that the House of Assembly seat became vacant in December last year, following the death of the member representing the constituency

The by-election is taking place in 10 electoral wards comprising 59 polling units and 46 polling centres. (NAN)