The Anambra governorship election was held yesterday amid tight security with some of the candidates kicking against observed irregularities. Complaining are the candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Chris Ngige; Labour Party, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah; and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tony Nwoye. The trio were not satisfied with the conduct of the election in areas they claimed to be their strongholds. They said that the arrival of voting materials was deliberately delayed in those areas. As early as 8:00a.m, accreditation started in most of the polling stations across the state except in Nsugbe area where the PDP candidate, Mr. Nwoye comes from and some parts of Ubah’s Nnewi where electoral materials arrived a little bit late. Though the election was generally peaceful, there were pockets of protests in Idemili North and South as materials arrived there late while in some places there were mix-ups as materials meant for Abatete were taken to Nkpor. According to Dr Ngige, his opponents deliberately delayed taking voting materials to Idemili North and South as he claimed they knew full well the areas were his strongholds. The APC candidate who cried foul on the conduct of the election in the areas called for a fresh election in Idemili North and South. When Sunday Sun visited Nnewi, the people trooped out en masse to cast their votes to elect the next governor of the state. But the expectations of the enthusiastic voters were dampened when some of them could not find their names in the voters’ register. At Otolo Ward 1, where Labour Party candidate, Ifeanyi Ubah was accredited about 10.30 a.m, there were complaints of voters whose names were missing in the register. The complaints were deafening at Unit 14 where the INEC officials could not explain the situation where no one found his or her name in the register that has 77 names. The electoral officers said they had reported the situation to their SPO, who said those whose names were missing registered twice and so the biometric machines rejected their names for double registration. A woman who should be in her 80s, Madam Chy White, was furious that she had come to vote despite her arthritis only to be told that her name was not in the register. At Oriagbo unit, out of 650 names in the register, only 70 voters found their names, while the rest were missing. At Ideoma ward in Umuoji, voting materials meant for Social and Agric centres were waiting to be collected by electoral officers at 1p.m. Reacting to the irregularities, Ubah after his accreditation said that might lead to litigation. Despite the early distribution of materials at the Anambra East Local Government INEC headquarters, Otuocha, they still arrived late at the ward of Nwoye. At the Nsugbe Iro Abaito polling unit, Ward II of the PDP candidate accreditation started at 10:10a.m, thus keeping voters who turned out in large numbers waiting. At Ofia Nta Ward I Nsugbe accreditation also started late with some people complaining of not finding there names in the register. Speaking to newsmen on accreditation process, Nwoye expressed disappointment that in his ward materials were not seen as at 10:00a.m. when in his APGA opponent’s area, accreditation started at about 8:00 a.m. His words: “You can see my people everywhere here waiting since morning to be accredited but you can see it is to 10:00a.m now and there is no materials and no officials. “This is a calculated attempt to disenfranchise my people, I have been trying to reach the INEC officials. We shall continue to wait for them.” Also speaking shortly after his accreditation, Willie Obiano, candidate for APGA called on the people to come out and perform their civic duty. Obiano was accredited at 10:15a.m at his Eri Primary School I, code 004. The APGA candidate denied the allegation that he had been disqualified, saying “let me seize this opportunity to disabuse the minds of our people that I’ve not been disqualified, I’m very much in this race. It is just a campaign of calumny by our opponents. So I’m very much in this race as you can see, very soon you see me cast my vote, so I urge everybody to please come out and vote.” Obiano was the third person to vote at his polling unit at exactly 12:55 p.m. After casting his vote, he described the election as peaceful, saying that the preparation was superb. He expressed optimism that he would win the governorship election in a landslide victory, urging the people of the state to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during and after the election. Generally, in the Anambra North Senatorial Zone voters turned out in their large numbers. As early as 8:00a.m, voters started trooping out of their houses to their various polling units for accreditation in some wards in Aguleri, Umueri, and some parts of Ukpo in Dunukofia council area of the state. At Umeri and Aguleri wards in Anambra East and Anambra West council areas, voters, mainly women came out in their large numbers and went through accreditation. In Ugwunadagbe Primary School, Umueri ward 1, voters were duly accredited, at 8:00a.m, till 12:30 p.m before voting commenced. There were, however, some complaints as in other parts of the state as some people from the area also did not find their names in the voters’ register. Speaking to Sunday Sun, Nchekwube Ifeanyi John of Umueri ward 1 in polling unit number 003 and Udemezue Abuchi Johnbosco of 003 polling unit at Ugwunadagbe primary school said they did not find their names in the voters’ register. At Otuocha Ward 1, in Anambra East council area, there was also huge voters’ turnout as accreditation began by 8:15 a.m. In Umuoba Anam in Anambra West council area, many people could not find their names in the voters’ register. The election was peaceful largely because of heavy presence of security agents across the state. Major roads in the state were blocked and movement was restricted at the busy Enugu-Onitsha Expressway as well as other major roads across the state. However, the situation was not the same at Onitsha Ward 12, 3-3 where market women were busy making brisk business while the exercise was ongoing. Directly opposite the 3-3 police station, the women were busy in their shops as if nothing was going on. At Mba farm, 3-3, voting materials came late unlike other areas. Voting materials came by 10:00a.m and it affected the accreditation and voting proper. A domestic observer at the polling unit, Chigozie Emeh described the exercise as successful and peaceful, adding that the materials were sorted out and distributed in the night to facilitate the voting as scheduled. One of the voters, Ikechukwu Okoye expressed satisfaction with the preparation and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for improving greatly on the arrangement for election. In Umuchu, the hometown of the candidate of the Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Mr Godwin Ezeemo, election was peaceful except for pockets of complaints in some polling stations over late arrival of materials. Sunday Sun reporter who went round the town in Aguata Local Government did not witness any incident as the voters who came out en masse conducted themselves well as they went through the process of accreditation. In most of the polling units visited, voters were seen in their large numbers waiting patiently to exercise their civic responsibility. Accreditation started late in many polling units and that affected the 12pm time for actual voting to commence. It was observed that the late commencement of accreditation put pressure on electoral officers as voters who came out in large numbers insisted that they must be accredited before the voting could start. At the Civic Centre, Umuchu ward 1 where the PPA candidate voted, accreditation started at 10.48 a.m. while in Ozalla/Akukwu polling station, Umuchu ward 2, the process started at 9.20a.m. Also, in Town Hall polling unit, Umuchu ward 2 where a large crowd of voters came out, voting started normally at 8a.m. as against Umugama hall, Umuchu ward 2 where accreditation started at 9.20 a.m. prompt.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 06:27:25 +0000
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