Borno LG ballot: PDP, ADC off poll as residents vote

Main opposition events, together with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had been absent from the poll as residents of Borno State trooped out en masse on Saturday to elect their representatives for native authorities chairmanship and councillorship seats.

Our correspondent, who visited some voting centres within the Konduga Native Authorities Space and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, noticed that voting commenced at precisely 8:30 a.m., with six political events on the poll.

The events embody the All Progressives Congress, Boot Party, Labour Party, Peoples Redemption Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Social Democratic Party.

PidomNigeria had reported that the PDP spokesperson in Borno State, Amos Adziba, stated in a press release on Friday that the get together was withdrawing from the ballot on the grounds of mistrust of the fee and the excessive price of expression of curiosity and nomination kinds.

Titled “Why we’re boycotting Borno LG polls,” the assertion alleged that the Borno State Impartial Electoral Fee didn’t give opposition events ample causes to construct confidence within the credibility and equity of the election.

The assertion learn: “The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State has disclosed that it’s going to not take part within the December 13, 2025 native authorities elections within the state due to the excessive price of expression of curiosity and nomination kinds, in addition to lack of belief within the electoral physique.”

Adziba, whereas condemning the price of the kinds, stated the get together alleged that the electoral physique was unmindful of the prevailing financial challenges within the nation by demanding excessive charges for the acquisition of expression of curiosity and nomination kinds.

In keeping with him, one other concern raised by the get together was the failure of the federal government to amend the electoral legislation to permit councillorship election outcomes to be introduced on the ward degree and chairmanship outcomes on the native authorities headquarters.

“For the reason that state authorities has not amended the legislation, it implies that it is going to be enterprise as regular for the APC to ambush different political events with electoral fraud,” he stated.

Reacting at a press briefing late Friday in Maiduguri, the Chairman of the Borno State Impartial Electoral Fee, Tahir Shettima, stated the fee was working in accordance with the structure and within the curiosity of all political events that confirmed curiosity within the election.

Shettima stated varied stakeholders, together with political events, had been consulted earlier than the costs had been mounted.

He stated, “The fixing of costs is throughout the confines of our powers. We didn’t repair these costs unilaterally. We had a collection of engagements with political events the place we arrived on the figures.

“In case you come, we is not going to cease you. If you don’t come, it’s not our enterprise. Nonetheless, it’s our need to see many gamers and political events collaborating. At this stage, we’ve six events on board. Our palms are tied by guidelines, rules and the legislation. We can not power anyone to take part,” he said.

In keeping with him, the fee is empowered by legislation to organise elections and decide how they’re performed.

“On the matter of fixing costs for kinds, our chairmanship kind is ₦500,000. A comparative evaluation of what’s obtained in different states of the federation exhibits it’s cheap, contemplating the present inflationary state of affairs,” he stated.
Voters who spoke to PidomNigeria On-line confirmed a clean electoral course of as of the time of submitting this report.

Certainly one of them, Ali Musa of Dalori Walori polling unit in Konduga Native Authorities Space, described the train as peaceable and recommended the efforts of electoral officers.

“We began at precisely 8:30 a.m. The officers exemplified professionalism. To this point, I’ll describe the method as peaceable and orderly,” he stated.

One other voter on the Mandarari polling unit in Konduga, Tijjani Abdullahi, stated the train was extra organised in contrast with earlier elections.

“What made this one stand out is that every thing was already put so as earlier than we received to the centre. We solely got here, joined the queue and voted. There was no violence or confusion,” he stated.

Nonetheless, in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, a voter, Kida Hadiza, lamented that the federal government didn’t inform voters whether or not there could be motion restrictions.

“To this point, the train is commendable. Nonetheless, I’ll advise that subsequent time there needs to be a transparent notification on whether or not there might be motion restrictions, as a result of nobody knowledgeable us whether or not motion was free or restricted for the election,” she stated.

Particulars later.