Drama As Abuja Community Rejects Renaming Of Polling Unit By INEC

A mild drama played out on Saturday during the mock accreditation exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Bwari Central Ward of Abuja.

This came as voters rejected a new name given to one of the polling units in the ward and demanded that INEC should rename it.

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The mock exercise was held near the Esu (Sa-Bwaya) Palace but the title of the polling unit on INEC’s list read Bwari Sarki/Near Chief Palace.

Our correspondent gathered that Esu’s Palace is not the same as the Sarki’s Palace but was confused as the same by some voters.

Dissatisfied with the development, the voters asked INEC to give appropriate description to the polling unit before the general election.

INEC’s Presiding Officer at the polling unit told THE WHISTLER that while the name of the polling unit may not be an issue for residents on election day, stakeholders ought to have detected the error and written to the commission for the proper description of the polling unit.

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“The owners of the community said they don’t want the name. The stakeholders have to write to the INEC Chairman or Secretary through Honorable Resident Electoral Officer for FCT,” said the official.

On his part, the Youth President, Bwari Area Council, Comrade J.H. Awoyi, told our correspondent that he suspects foul play in the mix up.

“What we want is that before election day, that name should be corrected. We are going to write to INEC on Monday.

“Without us knowing, the description was changed to our surprise. Last election it was like that and we complained to them.

“Our agreement with them is that they will also write to their head because we nearly resisted them from holding the exercise today.”

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When the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, arrived at the polling unit, he said INEC reserves the right to give a polling unit any name it deems fit.

He told THE WHISTLER, “That one is the name of the palace which is different from our polling unit. So that one(pointing at the description) is not our name.

“The Commission’s policy is not to remove polling units from the front of palaces and places of worship but from inside the palaces and places of worship.

“That one is our own name. What is the difference between Sarki and Esu?, ” the INEC Chairman queried.

However, Honorable Ephraim Elisha, Councillor representing Bwari Central, maintained that Esu and Sarki are not the same.

He said one cannot describe the chief’s palace in South East as “Sarki” .

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“There is difference between Esu and Sarki,” he said, adding the council will write to INEC as suggested by one of its official.

Sarki is the Hausa title for a traditional ruler or chief while Esu is a language of the Gbagyi speaking indigenes of Abuja, meaning paramount ruler.

Multiple reports say the usage of Sarki and Esu by relevant stakeholders followed the upgrading of Abuja to FCT which involved the inclusion of parts of the current Niger State.

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