Apathy, killings mar Governorship, State Assembly Polls vanguardngr.com vanguardnews
Except Ondo, Ekiti, Anambra, Osun and Edo states where governorship election did not hold, both polls took place in all the 36 states in the country and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
But a team of observers deployed from the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute , both based in the United States , said lack of proper electioneering campaigns by candidates involved in yesterday’s polls was responsible for the apathy. In Delta State, suspected thugs hijacked voting materials while officials of some parties were injured in some parts of the state.
Reports from Katsina said two security agents were killed while 20 electoral officials were abducted. Also affected were most of the Polling Units in Madalla, Kwamba Werda in Suleja Local Government Area of the state. At Efab and Citec estates located within Life Camp, Mbora Districts of Abuja metropolis, the exercise started at about 8:am.
In spite of heavy security and movement restrictions in most parts of Lagos State, particularly areas like Okota, where ballot boxes and polling units were set on fire during the February 23, polls, many voters elected to stay indoors. Again, some youths chose to play soccer on the streets or watch English premiership soccer matches at restaurants.
At polling unit 029, Okota, in Oshodi – Isolo Local Government Area, there was no voter on sight. It was gathered that a few voters registered at the polling unit, and had come in the morning to vote.at the polling unit confirmed the low turnout of voters compared with the presidential election. He noted that although some voters came in the morning, they were yet to have anything near the number of voters they handled in the previous election.
“I was shocked that people were non-challant, they were not concerned. This election would probably be the worst I have seen in years, not in terms of violence. There was relative peace but it is that apathy that is of concern to me.” “They even alleged that the INEC officers were even negotiating to pay N7,000 instead of the actual amount of N10,000, which the official refused to pay. Though, the NYSC members were ready to work, their ad-hoc staff colleagues were adamant on their refusal to work.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, delivered his Polling Unit for his party, saying he is expecting to be victorious when the overall results of the election are officially announced. Speaking to reporters after he voted, Sanwo-Olu said he was confident of victory, having traversed the length and breadth of the state during the campaign and felt the pulse of the voters.
Atiku said the involvement of the military in the election was unconstitutional, urging the electorate to be law-abiding. Ologbondiyan however said the party will study the total outcome of the election and made their position known afterwards.Also speaking on voter apathy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, after casting his votes, yesterday, at Gwarangah in Boro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, said:
Heads of the joint international election observation mission for Nigeria’s 2019 elections, who monitored the governorship and the Area Council elections in Niger State and the candidates failed to give the electorate reasons why they should come out to vote for hem. Omoni, the police spokesman, however, confirmed that the police officer attached to Nte was killed when the gunmen struck.
“We want to see those 3.5million registered voters. We want to see the 2.7Million that collected their PVCs. The reason for collecting your PVC is because you want to votes.”In Oyo a member of the House of Representatives representing Lagelu/Akinyele Federal Constituency, Hon Temitope Olatoye Sugar, lost his life two weeks after he lost his bid to move up to the Senate.
When Sunday Vanguard called, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, Head, Public Relations Unit, UCH, said he was at the Intensive care unit of the teaching hospital. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES in a phone interview, Shazal said, “Two cars drove to the back of the polling unit with ballot papers in their booths and two corp members entered the car. When people noticed their movements, they asked who they were, and the people claimed to be INEC officials.
The candidate was allegedly intercepted by operatives of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, for alleged vote-buying. She explained that a final decision over the conduct of the elections in the area would be communicated later.Zamfara:In Zamfara State, APC was not on the result sheets of the governorship and House of Assembly elections.INEC had excluded the party from the 2019 elections as a result of the controversies which trailed the primary elections.
20 electoral officials in the state were also said to have been abducted in Danmusa local government area with 10 of the 20 later resurfacing. Danmusa and Kankara are among the nine front line local government areas with high cases of insecurity and sharing borders with Zamfara State.In Delta, two persons were killed at Ovade-Oghara community, while armed thugs stormed a voting centre at Okome Primary School in Oghara , Ethiope West Local Government Area, Delta, chasing away voters and electoral officials.
With complaints vote buying, ballot snatching and violence, Abijor, who called for cancellation of the polls in the area, said, “We reported to the security men and there seemed to be no response. The two major parties, PDP and APC, however, tried to outmaneuver each other in the election characterized by vote buying in some polling units and heavy security presence in Asaba, the state capital, Warri, Ughelli, Sapele and other areas.
“But in any case, we have seen how the beginning is; we will see how the day will end. And my expectation is that I will win.”A local election observer was killed by stray bullet in Enugu state, police said. Meanwhile, the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the just concluded presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, decried what he called “persistent lack of preparedness” on the part of INEC. Obi spoke shortly after he could not, at 9 am, vote at his Umumasiaku polling unit, Amatutu, Agulu.
The hoodlums numbering about five were said to have emerged from the bush, shot sporadically to scare voters away from the polling unit.
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