From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Assessing Saturday’s by-election in Kaduna, a member of the House of Representatives for Chikun Federal Constituency, Hon. Hussaini Mohammed Jalo, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the by-election in his constituency, noting, however, that while voter turnout started slowly, it was steadily improving.
Hon. Jalo was a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) about a year ago.
Speaking with journalists after monitoring the exercise at LEA Primary School, Narayi in Chikun LGA, Jalo said he was optimistic that more residents would come out to exercise their franchise before the close of polls.
“Voters are coming out, but not as expected. However, we believe that in the next one or two hours, the turnout will improve. So far, so good,” he said.
On the security situation, Jalo commended security agencies for maintaining law and order across polling units in the constituency. He explained that he had been on the ground since Friday night and had observed no breach of peace in the areas visited.
“The security situation is perfect. I’ve been here since yesterday night. This morning we started around 6 a.m., and the situation everywhere I went to is excellent. Security agents are doing very well. Everywhere is calm and the election is going on perfectly well,” he added.
Assessing the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Jalo gave the electoral body a pass mark, though he identified one area for improvement.
“The INEC performance is good in all the places I visited. Everything is going smoothly,” he said.
“But one complaint I will make for the future is about the cubicle boxes. Most of them are torn, and I think INEC should improve on that.”
He also urged the electorate in Chikun and across the state not to be discouraged, stressing that participation in elections remains a civic responsibility and a constitutional right.
“My admonition to voters is that they should continue to come out en masse to vote. It is their right – their fundamental human right, enshrined in the Constitution and the Electoral Act. This is the time for them to elect a person of their choice to represent them at the Federal House of Representatives,” Jalo stated.
The Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency is one of the areas where the Independent National Electoral Commission scheduled by-elections following the declaration of some seats vacant. The exercise is being conducted under tight security after weeks of political tension and accusations among the leading parties.