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INEC officials taking delivery of electoral materials for the FCT council polls
By KELECHI OGUNLEYE
Some voters in Garki, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have expressed displeasure over late arrival of voting materials in the area.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that voting commenced at polling unit 156, Damagaza Settlement, at about 11:40 a.m., as INEC officials could not arrive for the exercise until about 11:25 a.m.
Some of the voters, who were feasibly aggrieved, told NAN that they were already getting weary and about to return home before they sighted the INEC team.
A voter, Emmanuel Ugochi, said most of the voters arrived as early as 7.30 a.m. but had to leave angrily after waiting for about two-and-a-half hours.
“Most of the voters you are seeing here now are those who arrived late; even my own wife was among those who got angry and left, and you can image the time they (INEC officials) just arrived for the election fixed for 8.30 a.m.
“I am with my card and in spite of the delay, I felt I have to wait and vote for a very obvious reason,” he said.
Another voter, who pleaded anonymity and was seen angrily leaving the venue, said he was heading home to rest, saying he needed to go and take his medication.
“I am an ulcer patient, and I need to go home and take my medication and rest a while. I felt I would have voted by now, having been here for more than two hours,” he said.
He, however, said that he would return to vote after taking his medication, even as called on INEC to always keep to time for elections.
An INEC official, who did not want his name in print, was seen hurriedly setting up the tables for the ballot casting, attributing their late arrival to logistics challenges.
“We had logistics issues from the registration area centre where we went for the distribution of materials and that was the reason for the late arrival, but we are here now and every eligible voter will be allowed to vote,” he assured. (NAN)