By-election voting in Kano State for two vacant House of Assembly seats got off to a slow start on Saturday, with electoral officers reporting low turnout across several polling units.
Observers at Ungogo Local Government Area noted that voters were largely absent in the morning hours, leaving election officials waiting for participants. At Ungogo Kudu 1A, Polling Unit 028, Presiding Officer Ahmad Mohammad Bello said only two of more than 50 registered voters had been accredited and cast their ballots by 11:04 a.m., despite officials arriving at 8:30 a.m.
At Kera Polling Unit 003, Presiding Officer Sani Kabiru reported that 19 out of 804 registered voters had voted as of late morning. Similarly, at Polling Unit 008, Panisau 05, Mercy Aweh said six out of 332 registered voters had cast ballots by 10:30 a.m.
Eighteen candidates from nine political parties are contesting the two seats—Ungogo and Kano Municipal Constituency (KMC)—both of which became vacant following the sudden deaths of lawmakers Aminu Sa’ad (Ungogo) and Sarki Aliyu Daneji (KMC).
The participating political parties include Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Early reports suggest that voter apathy is a significant factor shaping the pace of the polls, with electoral officials continuing to call on residents to exercise their franchise.
