By Sumaila Ogbaje
Absence of INEC stamp has stalled voting in the ongoing presidential and national assembly elections in some polling units in Aleyita in Kabusa ward, Abuja Area Council of the FCT.
When the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited Aleyita Health Centre polling unit 107, it was observed that voting was not in progress.
The Presiding Officer, Caleb Yashim, told NAN that they could not start the voting process because they did not come to the unit with INEC stamp to authenticate the ballot papers.
Yashim said that the stamp was part of the reasons they arrived late to the polling unit, adding that efforts were being made to get the stamp.
Generally, as against the 8:30 a.m. stipulated by INEC, the election commenced at noon in most of the polling units in Chika and Aleyita area of Kabusa ward.
NAN had earlier reported the absence of officials at the polling units.
However, election officials arrived between 10:50 and 11.30 a.m. in the various units.
The Assistant Presiding Officer in Chika Primary School Polling Unit, Mr Bukar Saje, attributed the late arrival to logistics and inability to easily locate the polling unit.
Saje, while addressing the voters urged them to maintain orderliness, saying the election officials would take into consideration their time of arrival in determining the closing time of voting.
He also sensitised them on the use of BVAs and assured them of smooth process.
In Aleyita polling unit, election officials arrived at about 11:30 a.m. and were still setting up as at the time of filing this report.
There is an impressive turnout of voters in all the polling units visited, who were getting agitated about the delay in commencement of the exercise.
A voter, Mr Dominic Fater, said he came to the polling unit as early as 7.30 a.m. only for INEC officials to show up at noon.
Fater said he was disappointed that the election officials had to come to the unit without a stamp.
He called on INEC to ensure that they were not disenfranchised.
(NAN)
