Nasir Shuaibu, BAUCHI
Some voters in Bauchi State have attributed the low turnout of the people during the mock accreditation exercise in the state to inadequate awareness campaigns from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Besides the voters also complaint that some INEC officials posted to polling units who can not speak the local language of the community also affect the process.
Abdullahi Adamu, aged 45 years old oldariolderry School polling units in Darazo, said many people were not aware of the exercise that's why many people didn't come.
According to him, "INEC concentrate their awareness campaign at the state capital leaving the rural communities in darkness, had it been that the INEC has come down to the grassroots level using like town cryer to inform the rural dwellers on the exercise the turnout would have been more than this."
Corroborating, another electorate said the low turnout experienced in the unit was as a result of inadequate awareness from the INEC.
He urged the INEC to intensify and improve its awareness and sensitization campaign across all nooks and crannies of the 20 local government areas to get more voters to participate during the national exercise.
In his response, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Bauchi, Borno, and Yobe States, Modibbo Abubakar Alkali (Rtd) said the exercise was commendable despite some little challenges of low turn out of voters in some polling units.
He noted that out of the six local government areas where the mock accreditation is being conducted, so far visited the exercise is excellent because the figures are conforming robustly and optimally by the BVAS.
Alkali, also commended the INEC for introducing the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), saying the machine is working faster and more smoothly within one minute it captures the fingerprint without any waste of time.
The retired army officer appealed to the electorate that they should have confidence on the VBAS they should come out to vote and their votes will go to contentment because the whole process is very fair and untransparent.
He calls on the women to avoid putting henna on their hands at least a week before election day to enable the machine to dictate and capture their fingerprints.
He, however calls on the general public to always channel their compliance to INEC and join hands together with the Commission in sensitizing the general public, especially at the grassroots level on the importance of the exercise.
Alkali, said the mock accreditation of voters conducted in the state using the BVAS machines was to test-run the system ahead of the February and March general elections.
"Despite the low turnout of the electorate witnessed in some of the polling units visited, still exercise was commendable. And people were still expecting to come out before the closing hours of 2:30 pm in the day."
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