Kaduna government decries low voter registration, asks INEC to deploy more machines

The Kaduna state government has expressed concern over the low turnout of eligible citizens in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday, Ahmed Maiyaki, commissioner for information, said Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna, has directed government officials to adopt pragmatic measures to ensure citizens’ participation in the exercise.

Maiyaki said the meeting was convened to assess existing challenges and design strategies to improve registration figures across the state.

“The government is deeply concerned about ensuring stronger citizen engagement in this exercise,” the commissioner said.

“This is not about partisanship; it is about encouraging all segments of society to participate actively in the democratic process.”

He commended some local government chairmen for launching sensitisation campaigns, adding that the meeting was for experience-sharing and coordinated planning.

Dauda Madaki, vice chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), said the exercise is being approached with the seriousness of a competitive national event.

“On our part as ALGON leadership, we are committed to collaborating closely with the ministry of information and the ministry of youth to ensure the success of this voter registration campaign,” Madaki said.

“We are fully aware of the importance of this process, not just for voting but for other government interventions that require updated and accurate data.

“We are calling on INEC, especially the resident electoral commissioner, to support us by addressing current challenges.

“For example, some LGAs like Chikun, Igabi, Zangon Kataf, Sabon Gari, and others with large populations have only two machines allocated for registration. This is clearly insufficient.

“We appeal to INEC to urgently provide more machines—at least 10 per LGA for high-population areas—to ensure no one is left behind.

“We must also consider areas with limited access to registration centres. Our people are ready and willing to register.”