Former senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Philip Aduda, has said the voting process in the ongoing area council elections has become faster and better organised, but warned that changes in polling units caused confusion for many voters.
Aduda spoke to journalists shortly after casting his vote, where he described the election as peaceful and an improvement on previous exercises across the area councils.
“For me, everything is going on well. This is our local election where we elect our area council chairmen and councillors who will represent us in the various wards,” he said.
He explained that the low turnout recorded in some polling units was not surprising, noting that local government elections usually do not attract as many voters as national elections.
“If it was a national election, more people would come out. This is a local election, and that always affects turnout,” he said.
However, the former lawmaker said some of the challenges recorded were linked to changes in polling units and poor voter awareness. According to him, many voters could not find their names because they went to their old polling units instead of the new ones.
He said the voters’ register was displayed earlier, but some people did not check and only discovered the changes on election day.
“Some people are used to where they voted before. Today, they are moving around and not finding their names at the new polling units,” he said.
Aduda said this situation contributed to the confusion seen in some areas and affected voter turnout.
He added that such problems were part of an adjustment process and expressed hope that voters would get used to the new arrangements over time.
“It will take time, but after this, I am sure people will understand the changes better,” he said.
Speaking on the conduct of the election, Aduda said the speed of the voting process showed clear improvement. He said it took him less than three minutes to complete the process from accreditation to casting his ballot.
“For me, it didn’t take up to three minutes. That shows there has been improvement. It is still a work in progress,” he said.
He also said he had moved around different parts of the FCT since morning and noticed better organisation compared to previous elections.
“From around 8am, I have been moving around, and there is serious improvement compared to past elections,” he said.
Aduda expressed hope that new electoral laws, once fully approved and implemented, would further improve future elections.
He called on election officials and other stakeholders to focus more on voter education and sensitisation to reduce confusion and improve participation, especially ahead of the 2027 general elections.
