Allegations of vote buying and irregular ballot handling have emerged in parts of Gwagwalada Area Council during the ongoing Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council elections.

Party agents representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) raised concerns at polling units in Better Life, UBE, and Kotangora.

A YPP agent, Momoh Abdul, accused officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of failing to issue ballot papers in serial order. He alleged that ballot papers were being torn from the bottom of the booklet rather than in sequence, describing the practice as suspicious.

Abdul also claimed that votes were being bought for sums ranging between N500 and N3,000, depending on negotiations between party representatives and voters.

Similarly, PDP agent Yahaya Umar warned that any form of vote buying could undermine the credibility of the election.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) agent at the polling unit, Hamidu Gimba, dismissed the allegations. He said he had been present throughout the exercise and had not witnessed any vote buying.

The Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 002, Mr. Francis Ihyomna, also rejected claims of irregular ballot issuance. He stated that ballot papers were being distributed serially, beginning from the first in the booklet, and that no numbers had been skipped.

Ihyomna acknowledged reports of missing names on the voter register but described the issue as minor. He said the name of one voter was initially not found at the polling unit but was later traced to another location.

As voting continues, electoral authorities are yet to issue an official statement addressing the broader allegations raised by party agents.