Residents of Kano are voting in the State House of Assembly by-election to fill the vacant seats left by the late lawmakers representing Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies.
The two legislators, Sarki Aliyu (Kano Municipal) and Aminu Sa’ad (Ungogo), both members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), passed away on the same day, creating the need for the by-election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano State, Abdu Zango, alongside heads of security agencies, monitored the exercise at various polling units.
Zango expressed satisfaction with the peaceful and orderly conduct of the election.
“As far as security is concerned, you can see for yourselves that there is no issue. We commend citizens for their responsible conduct. There has been no violence or threat whatsoever,” he said.
Also speaking, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Bakori, assured residents of adequate security before, during, and after the election, reiterating the commitment of security agencies to maintaining law and order throughout the process.
Political parties participating in the poll include the Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
However, three major parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and NNPP, are not taking part in the exercise.
A visit to several polling units across Kano Municipal and Ungogo Local Government Areas indicated a generally low voter turnout.
At Polling Unit 008, Panisau Ward 5, electoral officials were observed awaiting voters.
The Presiding Officer, Mercy Aweh, disclosed that the unit has 832 registered voters and confirmed that all electoral materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine, were available and functional.
Similarly, at Polling Unit 019, Kera Cikin Gari, Presiding Officer Desire Ariemiokhi reported that all materials had been deployed and the BVAS machine was working effectively, though voter turnout remained low.
At Polling Unit 003, also in Kera Cikin Gari, Sani Kabiru noted that out of 804 registered voters, only a small number had turned out as of the time of the visit.
In Ungogo Kudai 1A, Polling Unit 028, Presiding Officer Ahmad Bello stated that despite having over 50 registered voters, participation was minimal as of 11:00 a.m.
The situation was largely similar across other polling units visited in both Kano Municipal and Ungogo LGAs.
The REC attributed the low turnout to the timing of the by-election and what he described as a general perception that the contest involves only two constituencies.
The by-election is expected to conclude later in the day, with results to be announced by INEC in accordance with established guidelines.