Accreditation and voting have commenced in some polling units in parts of Nigeria as the 87.2 million voters with Permanent Voter Cards go to the polls to elect a new president and members of the country’s National Assembly.
Officials of the country’s electoral agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had arrived at some of the 176,606 polling units scattered across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory that make up Nigeria.
With the arrival of INEC officials are voting materials – sensitive and non-sensitive materials. Voting and accreditation started at 08:30am in several polling units across the country.
Already, voting has commenced in Iperu in the Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Accreditation and voting have also commenced at Iregun ward 3, Unit 3 in Iperu, the voting area of the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun.
As at 10am, President Muhammadu Buhari has cast his vote in his hometown, Daura, while Vice President Yemi Osibanjo has cast his vote in his hometown, Ikenne, Ogun state.
Oyo State Governor, Engr Oluseyi Makinde has also cast his vote alongside his wife, at Polling unit 001, ward 11 Alawaye, Abayomi, Iwo road, Ibadan.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have arrived at the polling unit of the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at PU 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State for Inspection of the voting process.
It was gathered that there is no Labour Party Logo on the House of Representatives and Senatorial Ballot papers in Lagos and Ondo States.
Voting has also begun in the Madobi Local Government Area in Kano State.
At unit 06 of Magaji Are, accreditation and voting are ongoing in Kwara State.
Voting has also started in polling unit 019 of Agulu in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State where one of the presidential candidates is expected to vote.
Similarly, voters have started to cast their votes at PU 27 in Model Secondary School Maitama, Abuja.
One of the uniqueness of this year’s election is the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems (BVAS), the technological system stipulated in the Electoral Act of 2022 which allows the accreditation of voters through biometrics capturing, and uploading of results amongst others.
