Gombe by-election: Residents hail peaceful exercise, INEC decries low turnout

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Some residents of Gombe metropolis have expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the ongoing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency by-election.

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The voters also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for making adequate arrangements to ensure a credible and hitch-free exercise.

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A cross-section of the voters said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Saturday.

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Buhari Ibrahim, a voter, said the professionalism displayed by election and security officials contributed to the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

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Ibrahim, a person living with disability, described the process as “seamless and peaceful”.

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He said he did not feel discriminated against at any point as a physically challenged person during the voting process.

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Similarly, Dalhatu Boderi described the process 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.

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He commended youths for conducting themselves peacefully and expressed optimism that the 2027 general elections would be peaceful and successful.

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Maryam Salisu, a voter at the Yakub Hassan Polling Unit, said she was encouraged to come out because of the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

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She commended INEC and security agents, urging them to replicate the feat in the 2027 general elections to encourage more female voters to exercise their franchise.

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Another voter, Zaliha Garba, also lauded the process, saying women were no longer taking the back seat in exercising their franchise.

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“We realised that women are critical stakeholders in determining who rules us, so we are now embracing the process,” she said.

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However, Rear Admiral Jamila Mailafa (retd.), INEC National Commissioner in charge of the North-East, decried the low voter turnout observed during the exercise.

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“I am here to observe the election going on in Bauchi and Gombe States.

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“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.

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“Voting starts at 8.30 am, but voters were just few in most of the polling units I visited.

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“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,” she said.

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