Governorship & assembly elections: poor turnout in states affected by violence

Early reports from three of the states affected by the recent political violence suggest that many voters have decided to play safe by staying indoors.

This has translated to poor turnout for the governorship and State Assembly elections.

In Kano, a Nigerian Election News Report – NENR - correspondent described the turn-out as, “very, very poor”, adding that some of the polling stations he had visited were rowdy.

There are also reports of violence in the state, with a fight reported between supporters of the PDP and the ANPP in Darki, in Wudil Local Government Area.

In Jigawa, which also experienced serious violence after the presidential polls, there has also been a low turnout. The local NENR correspondent told us: “because of allegations of rigging, voters thought they were wasting their time.” She also noted that far more female than male voters had braved the odds to vote.

In Borno, the NENR correspondent said there was ‘serious apathy’. He said another mass circulating leaflet warning people not to vote for the ruling party in the State – the ANPP - might have contributed to public reluctance to come to the polls.

Security experts had predicted a low turn-out in States affected by the recent post-election violence. They had noted that the circulation of inciting text messages would discourage voters.

Official turnout figures will not be available until Wednesday, but if they are as low as expected, there will be questions as to whether INEC should have postponed elections in Kano and Jigawa, as they have done in the neighbouring states of Kaduna and Bauchi.