South East
Soludo, PDP Chieftain Complain, Obi Remains Indifferent
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Chief Chukwuma Soludo, in company of top party officials, cast his vote at Ward 1, Amorji Primary School, Umueze village, 1suofia in Aguata council area at about 1pm, Saturday.
But he expressed displeasure at the process due to complaints of reported irregularities he received from his agents in the field.
He was the third to cast his vote in the polling unit just as he wondered how and when the election would be concluded given the late commencement of voting.
His complaint tallies with the doubt raised about the election by the Southeast zonal chairman of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who dismissed the election as “a sham:’
However, Governor Peter Obi remained indifferent to the question of alleged electoral malpractice.
Sported at Amatutu town hall at about 3pm, he said he was not ready to vote but still going round to monitor events. He promised to vote later in the day.
Soludo, who claimed that he had a large party of supporters queuing up to vote, told joumalists that he had received “various reports from all over the state complaining of malpractices:’
His words: “I have received complaints from all over about crises and irregularities in the voters’ register. I think INEC should know about this.
“I want to believe that those with valid voter cards should be allowed to vote. I am a little beat surprised at what is happening and I have no comment to make for now.”
Nonetheless, he applauded the turn out of voters but said, “I am worried for INEC’s lack of co-ordination, late delivery of materials and non-inclusion of people’s names on the voters’ register. Many people will go home disenfranchised:’
Reacting to the organisation and conduct of the election, Metuh said, “this is not an election we should be proud of.’
He added: “It is not an election, It is a sham, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has totally failed in Anambra and something should be done to change the operational system of the commission.
“Whoever wins this election should not be proud of it. I didn’t vote. I went to seven polling units and could not find my name:’
It was also discovered that the voters’ register used by INEC officials had incomplete records, with many people’s names missing or wrongly spelt. This caused some potential voters to complain bitterly to the officials.
At Agulu Ward 2, unit 16, party agents were not available as at 1l.15am, as an APGA agent, Mr. Romanus Obiefuna, lamented that some old men and women had been waiting to vote since 8.30am.
Reports of isolated incidents of thuggery, ballot box snatching and late arrival of voting materials continued to trail the governorship election in yesterday.
In the commercial city of Onitsha, voting started late, by 12pm in some polling units,
At Nkpor-Agu, a suburb of Onitsha, the INEC staff could not be seen as at 1pm when The Guardian visited some of the polling units.
Also at Obosi town, a youth organisation, Afoadike Peace Foundation, reportedly made away with the ballot box and other voting materials.