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Underage voters
came out in full force in Katsina for the second week running. With no
one willing to take the responsibility of dissuading them, many of them
proudly brandished what appeared to be legitimate voter cards.

Umar Bala, who
looked no older than 10, showed off his voting card which declared him
18 years of age and thus eligible to vote. At Sandamu Mati Adult
Education Centre polling unit in Sandamu Local Government in Katsina
State where Master Bala displayed his card, a police sergeant, Tasiu
Ali, upon seeing the press hurriedly got another small child waiting to
be accredited to put his voter’s card in his pocket and leave the area.
All this happened in full view of officials of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, including Friday Ahuazoribe, a National Youth
Service Corps member and INEC’s presiding officer in the area. But
while Mr. Ali, brandishing a tear gas canister, denied aiding and
abetting election criminality, Mr. Ahuazoribe who had initially
declared there were no irregularities at his centre before NEXT
observed the name and picture of a minor included in the voter’s
register before him, confessed the inclusion of minors in the list. He,
however, said he refused to accredit them.

“There are only two
children in the list but when they came, I asked them to go and call
their village chief and that they should bring their birth certificate
to prove they are 18 years. I did not accredit them,” Mr. Ahuazoribe
said. A similar situation was observed at other polling units in the
state. At Yadangammu Bakinrijiya, Gabriel Onoleke, the INEC presiding
officer, also an NYSC member, said, “We’ve had more than 10 (underage
children), and we are still expecting more of them.”

Missing voters

Another widespread
problem was that numerous voters in centres across the state had their
names omitted in the voter’s register. While Mr. Onoleke said he had
discovered two people’s names missing in his unit, Uchenna Nwafor, also
an NYSC member and INEC’s presiding officer in Mallamawa Low Cost
polling unit in Daura Local Government, said at least 110 people did
not have their names on his list.

“There are about
547 people registered here. But as they came for accreditation, we
discovered their names are not in the register. What we are doing is to
compile their names and submit them to INEC for necessary action to be
taken,” Mr. Nwafor said.

Mixed turnout

Assessing the
turnout of voters for the day’s exercise, Mr. Nwafor said it was less
impressive compared to last week’s elections which INEC botched due to
the inadequate supply of election material across the country. However,
there was a noticeable difference at other polling areas in Doka and
other locations in Mashi Local Government Area where crowds, with women
in several places outnumbering the men, queued to cast their votes.

“I am impressed with the determination of the people who came out to
get accredited and to vote,” said Mohammed Buhari, the presidential
flagbearer of the Congress for Progressive Change, after casting his
vote at Kofar Baru polling unit in Sarkin Yara Ward A in Daura Local
Government Area, his hometown. On the discovery of underage voters, the
former head of state blamed INEC officials for their insincerity in
conducting the elections stating: “INEC officials should do their job
as covered by the Electoral Act. Where they find illegal voter’s cards,
they should destroy those cards in front of all observers, the
political parties, the police and everyone.”