Yiaga Africa has released its preliminary assessment of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, raising concerns about operational shortcomings and the integrity of the ward collation process set to commence.
In its initial findings, the civic group reported several logistical and administrative lapses, including the late arrival of election materials at a number of polling units and delayed notification to voters whose polling units were reassigned due to overcrowding.
According to the organisation, the last-minute changes created confusion and may have contributed to voter disenfranchisement.
Yiaga Africa also observed significant voter apathy in many of the areas it monitored, alongside instances where critical voting materials were unavailable at certain polling stations. Additionally, the group expressed concern that heavy security deployments in some locations impeded the movement of accredited election observers.
While describing its report as preliminary, Yiaga Africa urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen voter engagement through timely and transparent communication.
The organisation further called on the commission to address what it described as weaknesses in its logistics and operational value chain to prevent a recurrence of such lapses in future elections.
Meanwhile, another coalition of civil society organisations, Ballot Eye, echoed similar concerns. The group criticised the last-minute reassignment of polling units, noting that many voters were unable to locate their new voting centres, effectively disenfranchising them.
Ballot Eye called on INEC to provide a clear explanation for the sudden changes and to urgently deploy voter-support mechanisms to help affected citizens identify their designated polling units.
The coalition also highlighted what it termed an alarmingly low turnout in several locations. In Gwarinpa, for instance, observers reported that only 19 voters cast ballots at a polling unit with a registered voter strength of approximately 750.
Late arrival of election materials was also documented in areas such as Kayada in Kuje, Junior Secondary School Durumi 1, Government Secondary School Gwarinpa, Rugan Fulani in Bwari, and Abaji East Primary School.
Both organisations stressed the need for greater transparency, improved logistics, and proactive voter communication to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process in the FCT.
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