Gombe by-election: Residents celebrate peaceful voting, INEC notes low turnout

Some residents in Gombe metropolis are happy with how peaceful the ongoing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency by-election has been.

The voters also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission for making good arrangements to ensure a fair and smooth exercise.

A few voters shared their thoughts in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Saturday.

Buhari Ibrahim, a voter, said the professionalism shown by election and security officials helped keep things peaceful.

Ibrahim, who has a disability, described the process as “seamless and peaceful.”

He mentioned he did not feel left out at any time during the voting process as a physically challenged person.

Dalhatu Boderi also shared his view, calling the process hitch-free and successful.

“The atmosphere is peaceful, the turnout in this polling unit is impressive and everything is going on well as expected,” Boderi said.

He praised the youth for behaving well and expressed hope that the 2027 general elections would be peaceful and successful.

Maryam Salisu, who voted at the Yakub Hassan Polling Unit, said she felt motivated to come out because of how peaceful everything was.

She thanked INEC and security agents, asking them to keep up the good work in the 2027 elections to encourage more women to vote.

Another voter, Zaliha Garba, also praised the process, saying women are now taking charge in voting.

“We realized that women are critical stakeholders in deciding who leads us, so we are now embracing the process,” she said.

But Rear Admiral Jamila Mailafa (retd.), INEC National Commissioner for the North-East, noted the low voter turnout seen during the exercise.

“I am here to observe the election going on in Bauchi and Gombe States.

“The election process is seamless, the environment is peaceful, people are out in some places but from my observation, there is a low turnout of voters.

“Voting starts at 8.30 am, but there were only a few voters in most polling units I visited.

“Here I can see a lot of voters, maybe they are just coming out. I think they are just taking their time. Both the electoral officers and BVAS machines are working as expected,” she said.