Nigeria Content Online

While the chairman
of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega,
was announcing the cancellation of the 2011 National Assembly elections
for unavailability of materials, former head of state and presidential
candidate of the CPC, Mohammed Buhari, was casting his vote at his home
town in Daura, Katsina State.

Reacting after
confirming the cancellation of the elections, Mr. Buhari said the
reason advanced by INEC for the cancellation had to be respected. He,
however, called on Nigerians to come out on the new date fixed for the
elections.

“INEC is the
institution saddled with the responsibility of conducting free and fair
elections. So now it has been postponed, we will wait. The bottom line
is the INEC chairman has apologised. I will ask everyone to come out
and still give the support they showed today,” Mr. Buhari said.

Underage voters

But despite the
cancellation of the elections which were relatively peaceful across the
state, voters in several places were still seen voting in many polling
units, some up to one hour after the announcement. Many of the INEC
presiding officials when approached said they were yet to be informed
of the cancellation.

At Yamadawa, in
Dauri local government area, one of the centres still conducting the
elections after the cancellation, NEXT witnessed many underaged
children voting.

This was in
connivance with the youth corper, INEC official, and a police
constable, Mohammed Idris. The corper was initially antagonistic to
answering any questions but later, when the crew of a TV station put
their camera on him, he said Mr. Idris was to blame.

“I believe you see
security is here and I told him I don’t want to see them [children]
here. That is security there,” the youth corper said, while trying to
hide his face from the camera.

In turn, Mr. Idris, in incoherent English, claimed the children are adults, saying they are only small in stature.

When contacted on
the issue, the Katsina State police spokesperson, Abubakar Mohammed,
said the responsibility of ensuring only adults register and vote lies
with INEC, and not the police.

“It is INEC who are
in charge. They are the ones who carry out voters registration, who
have the voters bio-data, and who know who is eligible to vote, not the
police. We are only there to ensure the security of the INEC officials
and that the conduct of the exercise is peaceful,” Mr. Mohammed said.

INEC’s spokesperson
in Katsina, Mohammed Musa, could not comment on the voting by minors,
as he said he was only just assuming duty as the state’s public
relations officer for the first time in the morning of the elections.

He, however, said the commission regrets all inconvenience caused by the annulment and postponement of the elections.

More frustration

But for Becky
Akhirebhu, a youth corp member drafted to Bujawa polling unit in Dutsi
local government, the postponement translates to more frustration,
having spent several hours accrediting 310 people of a total of 462
registered at the unit she was in charge of.

“We had accredited
310 people and 10 people had just cast their votes when we heard. It is
not funny because we have being here since morning. It is difficult
enough having to deal with all these people and now this. It is too
much stress. It is frustrating. And now to come back on Monday. I am
tired,” she said.

In a separate reaction, the Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema,
stated that he knows the situation could frustrate the election
process, but pleaded with the people of the state to come out enmasse
and cast their votes on the new date.