Kaduna LG poll: Electoral officers assaulted as ‘hoodlums’ snatch 41 e-voting machines

No fewer than 11 electronic voting machines (EVMs) were vandalised by suspected hoodlums during the council polls in Giwa and Igabi LGAs of Kaduna state.

Saratu Audu-Dikko, chairman of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), said about 41 EVMs were snatched during the election on Saturday.

Audu-Dikko said electoral officers were assaulted by the hoodlums who carted away some election materials.

“Thirty EVMs were carted away at Kwarau in Igabi local government, with two destroyed, while nine others at Panhauya in Giwa local government, were equally vandalised,” she said.

“The hoodlums also carted away election materials and assaulted the driver and staff of the commission conveying the materials.”

The chairman said that some other staff of the commission, including ad-hoc staff, were also assaulted in those places.

Earlier, Nasir El-Rufai, the governor, expressed concern over the low turnout of voters during the election.

Speaking after casting his vote at the Ungwan Sarkin polling unit 001 in the Kaduna north LGA, el-Rufai attributed the low turnout to the late arrival of some of the election materials.

He, however, said there was a vast improvement in the election process compared to that of 2018.

According to El-Rufai, the electronic voting machine makes it impossible for voters to indulge in multiple voting.

He said the APC does not have to win everywhere, adding that the party has worked for the people of the State.

“You activate the voting machine with your voter’s card once you have been accredited. The whole process takes less than 15 seconds; it’s very quick and efficient and you see your ballot paper being printed,” he said.

“As I said several times, we are not going to behave like other parties or other state governments, we will allow the people of Kaduna State to elect who they want.

“We don’t believe in cheating or rigging elections but also we don’t want other parties to cheat us and that was why encouraged the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to come up with a fool-proof voting process.”