On Saturday, some attorneys criticized the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), and the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, for publicly displaying their ballots after casting their votes for their preferred candidates.

They claimed that even though it was improper for the President and the governor to openly participate in such an act, the election results would not be impacted.

The President, whose second term ends on May 29, 2023, participated in the presidential and National Assembly elections in Daura, Katsina State. He displayed his ballot to demonstrate that he had cast his ballot for the party's presidential candidate, the All Progressives Congress. Additionally, Ortom was alleged to have proudly displayed his ballot to demonstrate that he supported the Labour Party's presidential candidate. The President's actions were improper, according to one of the attorneys, Mr. Babatunde Fashanu, SAN, because the voting process was secret. It's a secret balloting, you are supposed to go there, cast your vote in private, drop the paper, and no one is supposed to know who you voted for, according to Fashanu.

He continued by saying that it was improper for Buhari to display the ballot to show his candidate in his capacity as President. He said, "It was wrong of the President to do that, but whatever the reason for it, it does not excuse him from disclosing his voting record. I am clear that it is improper and not done. It's forbidden. What he did was inappropriate.

Speaking of the governors, it is undoubtedly against INEC regulations if it is true that some of them were using their phones. Each person is on an equal footing when it comes to voting. You are not supposed to break the prohibition against taking phones there, though, even if that is done. You shouldn't because the president, governors, and everyone else have equal access to the voting booth.

"In my opinion, if it did occur, it sets a poor precedent and is unlawful. But when we're talking about a borrowed election, I don't think anyone will go to the tribunal and argue that the election of that polling unit should be invalidated because the governor was present with a phone.