Kebbi By-Election: INEC Officials Idle, Low Turnout Recorded In Zuru Town
By Yusuf Gwandu
The by-election for the Zuru State Constituency seat of the Kebbi State House of Assembly was conducted across 200 polling units in Zuru Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The election witnessed low voter turnout in some polling units and delayed turnout in others. However, the exercise was generally peaceful, with security agencies deployed across the area to ensure a smooth electoral process.
Between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., residents in Zuru town were observed going about their normal businesses, while shops and commercial activities remained open.
Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Mango Waje Polling Unit, the Kebbi State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Kana Zuru, attributed the late arrival of voters to the early morning hours and expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the election.
According to him, the exercise was progressing smoothly, adding that voter turnout was encouraging despite the rainfall, which delayed the arrival of many voters at polling centres.
At Alhaji Budo Polling Unit in Rafin Zuru Community, the APC candidate for Kebbi South Senatorial District, Muhammad Jafar Gajere, cast his vote and commended the electorate for participating in the exercise. He described the by-election as a litmus test of the party’s popularity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Salihu Dangoje, who was in Zuru to monitor the exercise, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of women voters at Suffi Polling Unit in Zuru town.
In several polling units, voters had already cast their ballots and returned home, while officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) awaited the close of voting before commencing the counting and collation of results.
