The voter apathy occasioning the ongoing Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been blamed on alleged loss of public confidence in the electoral system.

This remark was made by some polling unit officers, and voters interviewed within the Karu general area of the territory.

Saturday Telegraph witnessed unprecedented low turnout of registered voters during separate visits to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) by FEPA Quarters Karu Site 11, as well as Agric Quarters polling units.

For instance, out of 1181 registered voters, only 30 had cast their ballots at polling unit 011 as at the time of filing this report.

The situation was not different at the other stations, with 652 and 500 registered voters, where only 17 and 19 had exercised their franchises, respectively.

A presiding officer who spoke with our correspondent, but whose identity is hidden, said: “We set up here as early as 8:30 am. For over four hours since we came, less than fifteen people have come to cast their votes”.

When asked what could be responsible for the apathy, he responded: “I think the situation has to do with loss of trust in the electoral system.

“Voters feel that there is no need to come out to vote when winners have (allegedly) been decided by entrenched forces”.

Another official, who spoke in a similar vein, noted thus: “They (voters) no longer have confidence in us; they fear that their votes may not count”.

A party agent who gave his name simply as Desmond, claimed that, “the enthusiasm that came with the 2023 general elections, and the disappointing outcome, is the result of what we have in this FCT Area council poll”.

Our correspondent reports that despite restriction orders emplaced by the FCT authorities, vehicles, tricycles and motorbikes plied Karu roads roads/streets without let or hindrance.

Meanwhile, armed police operatives were sighted at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Karu to guarantee the security of the facility and collated ballots.