Ngige, Obi, Akunyili protest • Low turnout, skirmishes, delayed voting

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Inconsistencies in voters’ register, delayed arrival of electoral materials and late commencement of voting in most of the wards were some of the factors that characterised Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election which was otherwise largely peaceful throughout the state.

However, there were reports of skirmishes in Nnewi South local government where gunshots were said to have been fired into the air by unknown persons as well as fighting in Ifitedunu in Dunukofia local government area of the state where voters accused security personnel of bias.

Former governor of the state and the governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Dr. Chris Ngige expressed frustration when over 150 eligible voters in his Alor Ward II, Idemili South local government area polling unit could not find their names in the voters’ register, saying he would immediately protest to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking to reporters moments after casting his vote, Dr. Ngige  pointed out that many people in his ward had been disenfranchised, saying that when people with valid registration cards wanted to vote and their names were not found in the register, such people were only given “tender ballots” which he said did not count in election.

He said “three quarter of the people here have not found their names in the voters’ register and it means that 75 per cent of my constituency is going under tender ballot,” an action which he said was deliberate as he noted: “It is deliberate. I have no equivocation about it.”

The former governor alleged that such action was repeated in all the areas considered his stronghold, in a deliberate attempt to scheme him out of the election, saying “my chances are already affected.”

He added that while he would continue to urge his supporters to remain peaceful, he would write a petition to all the relevant authorities including the Idemili South local government office of INEC, its state and national headquarters.

Also, there was an initial display of anger in Amatutu Ward 2, the home of Governor Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), when names such as Musa Kaduna, Idris Kaduna and Godwin Jallo were being called from the voters register.

Governor Obi, who had not cast his ballot when our reporters visited his ward, expressed displeasure over the conduct of the election and said if the vote of the people did not count, his would not matter and declined to comment further on the election until after the voting.

A relation of the governor, Mr. Damian Obi, while reacting to the names, said “how can they have Musa Kaduna in a polling unit in Amtutu, the governor’s village? I think the idea is to deplete the governor’s voting population and use it for the advantage of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

The governor later went to the Divisional Police headquarters in Neni for an undisclosed business relating to the election. There, an official of APGA, Chief Ben Obi, alleged that the Form EC8 issued for the voting process at Ichida town was not genuine.

Similarly, in Oguikpele, in Ogbaru local government, a member of the House of Representatives (names withheld) was said to have snatched a ballot box with the aid of thugs who accompanied him to the polling station.

The election which was scheduled to begin at 9am did not start until around 1pm in many of the wards mainly because of unavailability of electoral materials, thereby raising apprehension among hundreds of voters who had gathered at the various polling stations for hours.

Sunday Tribune correspondents who visited a number of local government areas in the state found out that there was a massive turn out of voters who patiently waited for the commencement of the exercise though they expressed fears that a deliberate attempt might have been made to disenfranchise many of the voters.

At Uga Ward I in Aguata local government area which is the constituency of the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dr. Andy Uba, voting could not start as at 3.15pm because of lack of ballot papers and Dr. Uba was seen sitting patiently inside his General Motors Suburban four-wheel drive numbered CW808ENU, waiting for the arrival of electoral materials even when voting time was nearly up.

His brother, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who is the senator representing the area in the National Assembly and Dr. Andy Uba’s wife were said to have been unable to vote because their names were missing from the voters’ register.

Though he declined to speak, some of his supporters disclosed to Sunday Tribune that many names were also missing in the voters’ register while polling agents took it upon themselves to compile such missing names with the intention to forward them to INEC.

At Isuofia Ward I also in Aguata local government area, the centre where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Professor Chukwuma Soludo voted, voting appeared to have proceeded normally.

The Director of Communication for the Soludo Campaign, Mr. Christian Udechukwu, confirmed to Sunday Tribune that voting had gone on smoothly though the exercise did not start in time, revealing that INEC had agreed that even if a voter did not find his/her name on the register, he/she should be allowed to vote once a voter’s card was presented. 

In Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area, the home of the candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief (Mrs.) Uche Ekwunife, voting started late, following the late arrival and distribution of election materials to the various polling units.

However, after the peaceful distribution of the materials and the commencement of voting at about 11:40 a.m., some youths in the community queried the presence of people they alleged were strange in the town, saying they had come to vote for a certain political party they did not name.

Early in the afternoon, Mrs. Ekwunife, while addressing journalists, alleged that the president general of the town union, Charles Tabansi, imported thugs into the town and that the thugs had disrupted voting in almost all the 17 voting units in Nri Ward 1.

She also alleged that the thugs hijacked ballot boxes, saying the town union official was working in connivance with a national commissioner of INEC, Chief Philip Umeadi.

She alleged that the INEC chief helped change the names of the members of the community in the voter’s register and replaced them with those of their surrogates so that they could use them to thumbprint the ballots for a political party she did not name.

The Minister of Information and Communication Prof. Dora Akunyili, who is recently under fire for her calls for President Musa Yar Adua to transfer power to the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, arrived at the INEC state headquarters at exactly 3. 25 p.m, after she had gone round to monitor and assess voting in the state.

Prof. Akunyili, who is from Anambra State told journalists while leaving the INEC state headquarters that: “The election is going on smoothly but there are hiccups here and there and it is being sorted out.”

When asked to give details, Akunyili who looked disturbed said: “You can go and see the REC for more information.”

From her looks, it is obvious that the minister had gone to report the situation she met at the polling stations she visited to the REC.

At Adazi Nnukwu town, also in Anaocha Local Government Area, there were reports of lack of security officials at the polling stations.

When Sunday Tribune visited the town, normalcy had returned as the people were voting peacefully.

In Okija Local Government Area, Sunday Tribune gathered that widespread report of people not finding their names in the voter register was also the case.

At Ubaha Ward 1 in Okija Local Government, it was gathered that there were four polling booths without any register of voters while in some wards, about 100 people would have the permanent voter’s card but 45 names or thereabouts would have their names on the register.

There were also reports of sporadic gunfire allegedly by political thugs in Osumenyi, Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.

However, the report could not be confirmed to know whether the gunshots were meant to scare the voters away.

In Amikwo, Awka South Local Government Area, there were reports of snatching of ballot boxes in some of the polling units in the community.

The voting clerk in the area, who is a corps member, said voting had ended but the people who snatched the ballot box would not allow them to count the ballots and later hijacked one of the boxes from another corps member, who was a voting clerk in the vicinity.

The corps member ran to the Eke Awka area of Nnamdi Azikiwe Avenue to report the incident to the security operatives in the area.

Meanwhile, in recognition of the time lost due to late arrival of voting materials, the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Mr. Josaiah Uwazuronye, announced the extension of voting by one hour to enable those who had not voted to perform their franchise.

No fewer than 100 persons had been arrested in the ongoing Anambra gubernatorial election, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Philemon Leha, has said.

Leha told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Saturday that the suspects were involved in electoral malpractices.

According to him, their offences ranged from thuggery to rigging and ballot box snatching, among others.

“We have arrested ‘plenty-plenty’ people involved in malpractice in the ongoing gubernatorial election,” he said.

The commissioner said that those nabbed would be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Before Saturday election,the command had warned that those involved in election malpractice or other crimes would be punished.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission said at least 10 vehicles have been impounded for contravening the no-movement order.

The Sector Commander, Ayobami Omiyale, said the vehicles would only be released at the expiration of the voting process.

“We placed total road block on the Enugu-Onitsha road at Amansea until the end of voting,’’ he said.