FCT Council Polls: Late Polling Unit Changes, Vote Trading and BVAS Glitches Undermine Voter Confidence – CDD-West Africa
When voters show up ready to decide their local leaders and are met with missing names, changed polling units and faulty devices, democracy takes a hit.
That was the experience in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during Saturday’s Area Council elections, according to the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa).
Deploying roving observers across all 62 wards through its Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), the group said the polls were largely peaceful but plagued by poor coordination and operational lapses that disrupted participation in several councils.
In Wuse, more than 20 voters at Polling Unit 055 on Ouagadougou Street reportedly discovered their polling units had been reassigned shortly before Election Day without adequate notice.
The movement restriction imposed across the FCT compounded the problem, leaving some unable, or unwilling, to travel to new locations.
Operational gaps also slowed accreditation. In AMAC and Kuje, observers reported incomplete or missing voter registers at some polling units, while wrong BVAS devices and authentication failures caused delays.
In Kurudu, some voters were marked invalid due to duplicate records across polling units, raising fresh concerns about voter data management.
Beyond logistics, observers documented isolated cases of malpractice. Police reportedly arrested a woman with over 20 voter cards at Kabusa Primary School. Vote trading was observed in parts of Lugbe, Kutunku (Gwagwalada) and Kuje, with inducements ranging from ₦1,000 to ₦10,000. EFCC officials were said to have arrested suspected vote traders in Gwagwalada.
There were also isolated tensions, including a tear gas incident in Abaji that briefly disrupted voting.
CDD-West Africa commended citizens who turned out despite the hurdles and urged INEC to urgently probe last-minute polling unit reassignments, strengthen voter communication, and fix administrative and technological gaps ahead of upcoming off-cycle polls and the 2027 General Elections.
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