The House of Representatives member for Chikun Federal Constituency, Hussaini Mohammed Jalo, has commended the conduct of Saturday’s bye-election in his constituency, describing the electoral process as peaceful and well-organized.
Speaking to journalists while monitoring the exercise at LEA Primary School, Narayi, in Chikun Local Government Area, Jalo acknowledged that voter turnout began slowly but expressed optimism about increasing participation as the day progressed.
“Voters are coming out, but not as expected. However, we believe that in the next one or two hours, the turnout will improve. So far, so good,” the lawmaker stated.
Jalo praised security agencies for maintaining order across polling centers, revealing he had been monitoring the situation since Friday night without witnessing any disruptions.
“The security situation is perfect. I’ve been here since yesterday night. This morning, we started around 6 am, and the situation everywhere I went is excellent. Security agents are doing very well. Everywhere is calm, and the election is going on perfectly well,” he reported.
The federal lawmaker gave the Independent National Electoral Commission a positive assessment while suggesting one area for improvement. He noted that INEC’s performance was satisfactory across all locations he visited, with smooth operations throughout.
“The INEC performance is good in all the places I visited. Everything is going smoothly. But one complaint I will make for the future is about the cubicle boxes. Most of them are torn, and I think INEC should improve on that,” Jalo observed.
The representative urged eligible voters in Chikun and across Kaduna State to participate actively in the electoral process, emphasizing their constitutional rights and civic responsibilities.
“My admonition to voters is that they should continue to come out en masse to vote. It is their right, their fundamental human right, enshrined in the Constitution and the Electoral Act. This is the time for them to elect a person of their choice to represent them at the Federal House of Representatives,” he declared.
The Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election is among several scheduled by INEC following the declaration of certain legislative seats as vacant, providing voters an opportunity to elect new representation in the National Assembly.
