By admin
Traders at the United AMAC Market in Lugbe, Abuja, have elected new executives through an electronic voting system for the first time, marking a significant departure from the manual voting process that previously governed market elections.
The election, held on Tuesday, April 21, attracted considerable participation from traders despite initial scepticism surrounding the introduction of the digital voting method. A total of 502 traders were accredited for the exercise, while 392 successfully cast their ballots.
Security personnel from various agencies were deployed across the market to maintain order, following heightened tensions ahead of the poll.
Chairperson of the Independent AMAC Electoral Committee (IAMEC), Amb. Rosemary Etta Ebuta, described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and largely accepted by the traders. According to her, the electronic system was adopted to curb the disputes and allegations of manipulation that had often trailed previous elections conducted manually.
She explained that while convincing traders to
embrace the technology was initially challenging, the smooth conduct of the exercise had strengthened confidence in the new process.
Several traders who participated in the election said the electronic voting system represented a clear improvement on earlier methods. They noted that past elections were often prolonged, sometimes stretching late into the night and occasionally disrupted by incidents such as power outages and attempts to tamper with ballot boxes.
One of the chairmanship candidates, Mr. William Igwe, also commended the process, saying the accreditation and voting stages were orderly and efficient.
Although an observer expressed concern about alleged voter inducement and pressure on some traders, many participants dismissed the claims as unfounded.
A trader, Galaxy Michael, said the focus of voters was largely on electing leaders capable of addressing longstanding challenges facing the market, including poor access roads, inadequate parking space and the need for stronger market organisation.
At the conclusion of the exercise, Mr. Prince Ayodele emerged winner of the chairmanship seat after securing 198 votes, sparking celebrations among his supporters.
The newly elected market executives are expected to serve a two-year term, during which traders expressed hope that the leadership would usher in improved organisation and development within the market.
