As residents of Anambra State as well as other Nigerians patiently await the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, early results obtained by Sunday Tribune showed clearly the investments the gladiators put into the election.
Though the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and incumbent governor of the state, Willie Obiano, is the clear favourite owing to incumbency factor, the results indicated that the political parties’s leaders held firmly to their bases.
At Ogbaru Local Government Area, Central School Ochuche polling centre where the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obaze, voted, his party garnered 370 votes at PU 001, while APGA and APC got 11 and five votes respectively.
The PDP made a strong showing at Ward 6, polling unit 014 by recording 126 votes as against APGA’s and APC’s 8 and five votes.
APGA, however, was the clear winner in Nnewi where the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was instrumental in the party’s formation, came from. The party won Umudim Central School polling units scoring 261 votes, while APC and PDP got 98 and PDP 80 votes at the the three units in the school.
At the ward of the APGA former national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, Aguluzoigbo in Aniocha LGA, the party also got favourable results by getting 68 of the total votes with APC scoring eight and PDP one vote.
One of the chieftains of APC and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, also proved his worth at his polling unit. His party got the lion’s share of the votes at Nkwoide ward 1 by scoring 152 of the votes against APGA’s 68 and PDP’s 22.
Also not left out is Prince Arthur Eze. He also cemented his status with the massive 409 votes recorded by APC at Ekwueme hall in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area, against APGA’s 102 and PDP’s 15.
Two suspected IPOB members arrested
Meanwhile, suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) were arrested on Saturday, as voters in the state defied the group by trooping out for the governorship polls.
The suspects reportedly attempted to disrupt the electoral process at the Ozugbe axis of Anambra East Local Government Area.
According to reports, the duo, who had no form of identification on them, were attacked by a mob.
They were accused of approaching the voting area with the intention of attacking electoral officials and prospective voters.
The security operatives present were said to have succeeded in returning calm to the area.
Sunday Tribune gathered that very early in the day, members of IPOB reportedly sent text messages to some prospective voters, urging them to heed its earlier call for a boycott of the election, but to no avail.
A number of persons were also apprehended by law enforcement agencies in connection electoral offences, even as there was tight security throughout balloting in the entire state.
Late arrival of polling materials, voter inducement, malfunctioning of card readers affect poll
In most of the polling units visited by our correspondents to monitor, there was a large number of voters though accreditation of voters could not start on schedule due to late arrival of election materials.
Umuchu Ward I Civic Centre, received materials at 1:02 p.m in the poll scheduled to end by 2p.m.
There was also allegations of voter inducemnt, as political parties reportedly distributed money, food items to voters.
There were reported cases of malfunctioning of the smart card readers, with the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Victor Oye, decrying the malfunctioning of several card readers deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election.
Oye, who made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka, said though the card readers captured his finger print at his polling unit at Amawbia in Awka South Local Government Area, reports from most of the party’s agents across the state showed that the machines malfunctioned in many areas.
APC candidate accuses APGA, police of harassment of party members
In another development, the APC governorship candidate in the election, Dr Tony Nwoye, has alleged intimidation and harassment of party supporters in some parts of the state.
Nwoye made this allegation when he voted in his Nsugbe Ward I in Anambra East Local Government Area, on Saturday, at 11:50 a.m.
In Abatete, for instance, Nwoye said the reports that reached him indicated that someone mobilised a horde of security agents to snatch ballot boxes and other election of results and bolted.
Nwoye also decried the arrest and detention of the APC state chairman, Mr Emeka Ibe, “for no just cause.”
According to him, the police have allowed themselves to be used as a tool of ‘opression and suppression’ in the hands of the ruling party in the state.
He also said that there was no voter apathy in the state.
But, in a reaction to Nwoye’s accusation, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations, Mr Joshak Habila, denied that his men arrested anyone.
“Our men are doing what is expected of them. We did not arrest or detain anybody,” Habila said.
Also speaking after casting his vote, the PDP governorship candidate, Dr Oseloka Obaze, who voted at 1:45 p.m., decried voter apathy in Ogbaru and Nnewi North Local Government areas.
Obaze told newsmen shortly after voting that the apathy was explainable in the city centres but inexplicable in the communities.
He also complained that the poll did not take place in Okpoko in Ogbaru and Umudim in Nnewi North council areas.
I’m optimistic of victory- Obiano
Anambra State governor, Obiano, answering questions raised by newsmen, Obiano said he was optimistic of his victory, adding that APGA would sweep the polls in most of the polling units, if not all accross the state. “I am very happy, I see voters eagerly waiting to cast their votes. I am very confident that I will win the election with landslide victory.”
At the Alor Ward 1 where APC chieftain and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige voted, the election was peaceful and orderly.
Ngige said that given the quiet atmosphere under which the election was conducted in that area, the outcome would be deemed to be transparent and creditable.
But the minister picked holes with the attitude of some security agents posted to Idemili North/south local government areas where an APGA chieftain intimidated and harrased APC supporters in the two local government areas particularly.
However, a former national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, countered Ngige and Nwoye, after the conclusion of votes at his Aguluizigbo ward, that the APC was crying wolf because the security agents and INEC “did not allow them to rig as they have hoped”