Voting Disrupted in Abuja Polling Unit Over Missing INEC Result Sheet

Voting in parts of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) was reportedly disrupted after officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly failed to bring the original result sheet to a polling unit, according to reports from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The allegation came from Dr. Ezeh Onyebuchi Chukwu, APGA’s chairmanship candidate in AMAC, who spoke to journalists after casting his vote in Asokoro, Abuja. Chukwu said that at Polling Unit 022 in Durumi, INEC officials informed voters that the original result sheet had been left behind at the office, delaying the start of voting.

“They said they forgot it in the office, and as I speak to you, they have yet to bring it,” Chukwu said, noting that party agents, except those of the ruling party, raised concerns. He also reported that security personnel were temporarily relocated from the polling unit to a nearby chief’s palace.

Chukwu further alleged voter exclusion in villages around Kagini, where non-indigenes were reportedly prevented from casting their ballots. “In some villages close to Kagini, people are being told that if you are not an indigene, you can not vote there,” he said.

He also cited vote-buying and intimidation in Orozo, claiming that voters were pressured or restricted from moving freely unless they complied.

Despite these issues, Chukwu described parts of Asokoro as calm but expressed concern over the low voter turnout. “At a polling unit with over 2,800 registered voters, there were not up to 10 voters when I arrived. In many places, officials were present, but voters were absent,” he said.

Chukwu attributed the low participation to a general lack of public interest in local government elections, warning that weak engagement at the grassroots level could affect governance outcomes at higher levels.

As of filing, INEC had not responded to the allegations.