Accreditation and voting in the by-election in Patigi Constituency of Kwara State House of Assembly commenced peacefully and on time, but recorded low turnout of voters.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria monitoring the exercise on Saturday in Patigi town and Kpada reports that accreditation and voting commenced simultaneously by 8am.
Most polling units visited were scanty.
NAN also reports that security agents were seen around the voting areas to maintain order and peace.
The Head of Voter Education and Publicity of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state, Jacob Ayanda, confirmed to NAN that election materials arrived the polling units before the commencement of accreditation because the Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers slept at the Registration Area Centres.
Ayanda said there was no reported case of malfunctioning Smart Card Readers because three card readers were configured for each of the polling units to forestall breakdown.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kwara State, Malam Garba Attahiru-Madami, also told NAN in Kpada that he was satisfied with the conduct of the by-election.
The REC admitted that the turnout was initially low in the morning, but later picked up, describing the overall turnout as encouraging.
He also said the election was peaceful in Kpada as voters conducted themselves orderly.
Attahiru-Madami commended the ad-hoc staff as well as INEC officials for reporting promptly to their respective polling units.
NAN recalls that the House of Assembly seat became vacant in December last year following the death of the member representing the constituency
The by-election is taking place in 10 electoral wards comprising 59 polling units and 46 polling centres.
NAN.
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