Despite the mass voter protests that greeted the November 16th governorship election and the supplementary election in Anambra State, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Willie Obiano, was early this morning, declared winner of the elections.
The agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) governorship candidates in the Anambra State governorship election were conspicuously absent at the supplementary election held in 209 polling units across 16 local government areas, yesterday.
This is just as the poll was greeted by poor voter turnout in most areas visited by Newsmen.
In most areas where the elections took place, low voters turnout was apparent though electoral materials from the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) arrived relatively early unlike what obtained last Saturday, whereby late arrival of material threatened the polls in some polling units.
However, the trio of Senator Chris Ngige of the APC; Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Labour Party and Comrade Tony Nwoye of the PDP have described the low turnout as a justification of their calls for the cancellation of the election.
Though the three parties had stated that they would not participate in the election, some of their members were seen around polling units. At the Polling Unit 016, Igweamaka Primary School, Aguluzoigbo, members of the APC including the chairman of the party in the local government, who refused to disclose his name, said that they were there to monitor the process not to participate while at the Polling Unit 006 and 007, Chukwurah Primary School, Abatete, agents of the PDP and the LP were seen participating in the election.
In Idemili North Local Government Area, which has the highest number of registered voters, turnout at many polling units reflected that only 11 to 17 voters had showed up to vote.
Similarly, in one of the polling units at Oyi Local Government, Sunday Tribune gathered that nine voters showed up to vote out of about 3,000 registered voters, with people in Onitsha North and Onitsha South council areas people opening their shops and going about their respective businesses.
Reacting to the poor turnout Senator Ngige told reporters that it was an indication that the electorate has lost hope in the electoral process, adding that the electorate couldn’t have turned up to vote in view of the charade of November 16, 2013.
In the same vein, Media Aide to Dr. Ubah, Mr. Afam Ilouno told newsmen that “you do not need anything more to convince INEC and Nigerians that Anambra people have been molested. They shown that they have no confidence in what is going on and it is expected that the electoral commission should learn a lesson by starting all over again.”
