Rerun Election: Low turnout of voters in Jos

The rerun elections for the Plateau North and Jos North/Bassa Federal House of Representatives seats began smoothly but saw a notably low voter turnout. Despite the presence of voters at several polling stations from 8 a.m., the number of participants remained sparse throughout the morning, attributed partly to the chilly weather conditions.

 

It was noted that simultaneous accreditation and voting processes were underway.

 

One significant factor for the diminished interest was the absence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ballot, as decided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which seemingly affected voter motivation.

 

In response to this situation, the PDP leadership encouraged its followers to support Prince Pam Mwadkon Dachungyang of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Plateau North Senate seat, and Hon. Daniel Asama of the Labour Party for the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency.

 

This election rerun follows a November 2023 decision by the Appeal Court that annulled the victories of Simon Mwadkwon, the former Senate minority leader, and Hon. Musa Agah, representing the Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, citing organizational flaws. The court mandated INEC to organize a rerun within 90 days, inviting all political entities to participate, which led to surprise and confusion among PDP supporters when they found the party's symbol missing from the ballot just before the election.

 

The engagement levels in this rerun were markedly lower than in the general elections, which had seen higher voter participation. Our reporter's visits to various polling units revealed a general disinterest among the electorate, despite the timely arrival of voting materials.

 

In locations such as Hill station Junction 2, Polling Unit-023, and Jenta Adamu registration area, Polling Unit 002, election officials were seen accommodating the scant number of voters that showed up. One early voter, choosing anonymity, mentioned being among fewer than ten people present since 6 a.m.

 

A party representative shared optimism about the day, stating that election materials were promptly distributed, and voting started on time, hopeful for a peaceful and successful election outcome.

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