FCT Polls: Ballot paper missing in Abaji as INEC reassigns voters hours before election

Tension has surfaced in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as irregularities were reported during the ongoing council elections.

In Abaji Area Council, aggrieved voters alleged that ballot papers were missing after reportedly being whisked away from a polling unit.

As of the time of filing this report, voting is said not to have commenced at the affected centre.

Elsewhere, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was said to have reassigned some voters to new polling units just hours before the election.

The development has raised concerns that affected voters may face difficulties locating their updated polling centres, especially amid movement restrictions ordered by FCT authorities.

Some voters also complained that they could not find their details on the voter register and were seeking clarification on whether manual accreditation or voting would be allowed.

In another incident, INEC officials reportedly arrived at a polling unit with the wrong Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine, temporarily disrupting the process and leaving voters stranded.

The incidents have sparked concerns about the smooth conduct of the exercise across parts of the FCT.