Voting commenced at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday in Garki Local Government Area to fill the vacant seat left by the late member of the House of Representatives representing the Garki/Babura federal constituency in Jigawa State.
Accreditation of voters began promptly at 8:30 a.m., with voters turning out to exercise their franchise.
Registered voters across 13 states in Nigeria are participating in polls to elect new representatives to the Senate, House of Representatives, and state houses of assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed that bye-elections are being held in 16 constituencies.
The states involved include Jigawa, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Taraba, Kogi, Niger, Enugu, and Zamfara.
In a related development, voting has commenced across various polling units in Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas as the bye-election for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency gets underway on Saturday.
This election was necessitated by the demise of the former representative for the constituency, Ekene Adams, who died last year.
The Independent National Electoral Commission is simultaneously conducting bye-elections for the Sabon Gari and Zaria state constituencies.
In a bid to ensure a smooth electoral process, INEC deployed voting materials from as early as 7 a.m., under heightened security. Officials of the Commission were seen setting up polling units by 8 a.m., with essential materials such as ballot papers and result sheets in place.
Voters and party agents in some polling areas expressed satisfaction with INEC’s preparedness, commending the early distribution of materials.
They described the development as encouraging and indicative of a credible electoral process.
Meanwhile, security personnel in Kaduna State have arrested a suspect allegedly involved in vote-buying ahead of the bye-elections. According to the Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, the suspect, identified as Shehu Patangi, was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday at a hotel along Turunku Road in Kaduna metropolis.
Patangi is reportedly accused of coordinating the disbursement of funds intended to sway voters in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency poll. A statement from the police revealed that ₦25.963 million in cash was recovered from the suspect, believed to be set aside for influencing the election.
During initial questioning, the suspect is said to have admitted to the allegations and pleaded for leniency.
In a related development, election materials have been sorted and voting is set to begin in the Karim Lamido 1 State Constituency bye-election. This election follows the resignation of former lawmaker Mike Dio-Jen, who accepted a role as Taraba State’s Commissioner for Tertiary Education.
However, at Polling Unit 010 Sada in Jen, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine reportedly developed a fault, causing delays as voters waited for the process to commence.
Elsewhere, voting has started in Unit 012 of Ganye Constituency in Adamawa State as part of the ongoing by-elections. In Jigawa State, polling has also begun in Garki Local Government Area to fill the vacant seat for the Garki/Babura Federal Constituency following the death of the former House of Representatives member.
