GOMBE — Residents of Gombe metropolis have expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the ongoing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency by-election, commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for ensuring a calm and orderly exercise.
The voters spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Saturday.
Buhari Ibrahim, one of the voters, praised the professionalism displayed by electoral officials and security personnel, saying their conduct contributed significantly to the peaceful atmosphere at polling units.
Ibrahim, a person living with disability, described the voting process as “seamless and peaceful”, adding that he did not experience discrimination at any point during the exercise.
Similarly, Dalhatu Boderi described the election as hitch-free and successful.
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“The atmosphere is peaceful, the turnout in this polling unit is impressive and everything is going on well as expected,” Boderi said.
He also commended youths for conducting themselves peacefully and expressed optimism that the 2027 general elections would be conducted in a similarly peaceful manner.
At the Yakub Hassan Polling Unit, another voter, Maryam Salisu, said the peaceful atmosphere encouraged her to come out and exercise her franchise.
Salisu commended INEC and security personnel for their efforts, urging them to maintain the standard during the 2027 general elections to encourage more women to participate actively in the electoral process.
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Another voter, Zaliha Garba, also praised the participation of women in the election, saying women were increasingly recognising their importance in determining the leadership of the country.
“We realised that women are critical stakeholders in determining who rules us, so we are now embracing the process,” she said.
INEC Commissioner Raises Concern Over Low Turnout
Despite the largely peaceful atmosphere, INEC National Commissioner in charge of the North-East, Rear Admiral Jamila Mailafa (retd.), expressed concern over what she described as low voter turnout in several polling units.
Mailafa, who was monitoring the election in Bauchi and Gombe States, said the electoral process was progressing smoothly and that both electoral officers and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were functioning as expected.
“The election process is seamless, the environment is peaceful, people are out in some places but from my observation, there is a low turnout of voters,” she said.
According to her, voting commenced at 8:30 a.m., but only a few voters were observed at many of the polling units visited.
“Here I can see a lot of voters, probably they are just coming out. I think they are just taking their time. Both the electoral officers and BVAS machines are working as expected,” Mailafa said.
The Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency by-election is being closely watched as voters across the constituency cast their ballots to elect a representative.
The peaceful conduct of the exercise, coupled with calls for greater voter participation, has continued to dominate discussions as the voting process progresses.
