Preliminary results from the local government elections held in Adamawa State on Saturday show that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gained an early lead in 18 out of the 21 local government areas.

However, the elections experienced a notable degree of voter apathy across many polling units.

Notably, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who recently switched from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not present in the state during the voting. State officials have stated that he was engaged in a significant commitment outside of Adamawa State at that time.

In light of the initial results, State Commissioner for Information, Leader Leneke, credited the PDP’s early success to effective grassroots campaigning, while indicating that the ruling APC had not engaged in campaigning to the same extent.

“The PDP governorship candidate and the chairmanship candidates were going out every day for campaigns, but the ruling APC was not doing the same. So, if the PDP wins the election today, it is due to its hard work,” The Punch quoted Leneke.

Leneke noted that the low voter turnout was partly driven by a historic perception among rural populations that local government polls automatically favor the party in power. He also stated that heavy rainfall after 1:00 p.m. further disrupted voter participation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa Farauta expressed satisfaction with the exercise after visiting the Karewa Primary School polling unit and other centers. Farauta described the turnout as impressive and orderly, praising the electorates for their peaceful conduct and urging the Adamawa State Independent Electoral Commission (ADSIEC) to maintain professional standards.

Some voters also reported that material distribution and simultaneous accreditation began smoothly around 8:00 a.m. at locations like Jambitu unit 002.

Conversely, opposition candidates have alleged widespread irregularities. At Girei I Ward, observers noted that seven polling units were without election officials and voters by 11:00 a.m. In Song Local Government Area, officials were present in only three township units but recorded no voter turnout.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate for Demsa Local Government Area, Dennis Kakaba, strongly criticized the process, alleging that voting occurred in only eight out of the 172 polling units in his council.

“There is no local government election in Adamawa State. They wrote the results last week and are pretending that an election has taken place. It is a shame for democracy,” Kakaba stated.

Despite the criticism and low turnout, APC Publicity Secretary Dogo Victor expressed confidence that the ruling party would emerge victorious once the final results are officially computed and released by ADSIEC.

The electoral commission had earlier confirmed that 11 political parties, including the APC, PDP, ADC, SDP, YPP, and the Labour Party, participated in the local government contests.