Voting has commenced in the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency bye-election in Kano State, with residents turning out from the early hours of Saturday to elect their representative in the Kano State House of Assembly.
At Dawaki Ward, particularly polling units 0021 and 0022 visited by our correspondent, voting began at about 8am, with election materials and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, arriving on time.
Men, women and elderly voters were seen at the polling units exercising their civic rights, while security personnel were also deployed to maintain order and ensure a peaceful voting process.
As of the time of the visit, there was no major incident capable of disrupting the election, with accreditation and voting progressing peacefully.
Some voters who spoke to our correspondent described their experience at the polling units and explained how they were able to cast their ballots
One of the voters, Hajara Isuhu told DAILY POST that she cast her ballot without any difficulty.
She also commended the peaceful conduct of the election and the security arrangements at the polling unit.
“We voted peacefully without any disturbance. Security personnel have been patrolling this area since the day before yesterday, so we feel safe.”
Another voter, Muhammad Musa, said they were satisfied with the conduct of the election so far and expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere would continue until the polling units close.
“The election is going as expected. We hope people will continue to cooperate so that it can be completed peacefully, there has been no problem, no shortage of election materials, delay or insufficient security personnel.”
However, an unnamed woman who spoke to us said she would not vote, citing politicians’ failure to fulfil their campaign promises after winning elections.
“You can see my voter card, but I will not vote because I am tired of the way they fail to fulfil their promises to us.” as she displayed her voters card.
When asked why she came to the polling unit despite saying she would not vote, she said:
“I came to observe and see how things are going, but I did not come to vote.”
Political party agents were also present at the polling units to monitor the conduct of the election.
At polling unit 0022, agents of the Labour Party, LP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, were present, while an APC agent was seen at polling unit 0021.
Security personnel were deployed to maintain peace and ensure that voters exercise their franchise without disruption.
Reports from other polling units in Dawakin Kudu indicate that voting is continuing peacefully, with more voters arriving to cast their ballots.
Kano bye-election: Voting underway amid massive voters turn in Dawakin Kudu