Title: Area Council Polls: INEC Officials Lament Low Turnout in Aso Estate, Sabon Lugbe Date Published: 21 February 2026 Description: Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deployed to Polling Unit 097 at Aso Estate and Polling Unit 098 at LEA Primary School, Sabon Lugbe, have expressed concern over the low voter turnout recorded during Saturday’s Area Council elections.The officials, however, noted that despite the poor participation and some early logistical setbacks, the electoral process at both polling units was peaceful, orderly, and free of violence.They confirmed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) operated efficiently throughout the exercise, adding that no security incidents were reported.Speaking to journalists, the Assistant Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 097, Aso Estate, Clement Adugo, disclosed that although more than 900 voters were registered at the unit, only about 60 had voted as at the time of filing the report.“The voter turnout is quite low. We have over 900 registered voters here, but only about 60 people have come out to vote so far,” Adugo said.She explained that voting commenced later than scheduled, beginning around 10:30 a.m., but added that the process had been smooth since then.“When we arrived in the morning, we met some voters already waiting to vote. Since the commencement of voting, the process has been seamless and voters have been very cooperative,” she added.At Polling Unit 098, LEA Primary School, Sabon Lugbe, another Assistant Presiding Officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported a similar situation, revealing that fewer than 50 voters had turned out from a total of 715 registered voters.The official attributed the delayed start of voting to the late arrival of election materials, which reportedly reached the polling unit shortly after 11:00 a.m.“The materials arrived late because the officials had difficulty locating the polling unit and were moving around with the materials,” he explained. “However, once voting started, everything went smoothly and the BVAS worked excellently.”Despite the challenges, INEC officials at both polling units maintained that the election was conducted in a calm atmosphere, with orderly conduct by voters and election personnel alike. Attached Images: 96859153be2519a998236759571dd5d145f529b2d8ebace2d826c7fcdea12b5c.jpg Attached Video: None