Residents of Borno State went to the polls on Saturday to elect local government chairmen and councillors, but major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), were absent from the ballot.
Our correspondent, who visited polling centres in Konduga Local Government Area and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, reported that voting began promptly at 8:30 a.m., with six political parties participating: the All Progressives Congress (APC), Boot Party, Labour Party, Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The PDP had earlier announced its withdrawal, citing distrust of the Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) and the high cost of nomination and expression-of-interest forms. In a statement titled “Why we’re boycotting Borno LG polls”, PDP spokesperson Amos Adziba claimed that the commission failed to inspire confidence in the election’s credibility. He also criticized the state government for not amending electoral laws to allow ward-level declaration of councillorship results and local government-level announcement of chairmanship outcomes, alleging that this could favour the APC.
Responding to the boycott, BSIEC Chairman Tahir Shettima insisted that the commission acted within its constitutional powers and engaged stakeholders before fixing the prices for nomination forms. He noted that the chairmanship form costs ₦500,000, which he described as reasonable given prevailing inflation. Shettima urged political parties to participate, but stressed that the commission cannot compel them to do so.
Voters who spoke with PUNCH Online praised the conduct of the election. Ali Musa of Dalori Walori polling unit in Konduga described the exercise as “peaceful and orderly,” while Tijjani Abdullahi at Mandarari polling unit commended the pre-arranged organisation that made voting smooth.
However, some residents, like Kida Hadiza in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, called for clearer communication regarding movement restrictions on election day.
As of the time of reporting, the exercise was proceeding without major incidents, reflecting a largely calm voting day across the state.
Details will follow as results are announced
