Soludo, Ozigbo, Uba, others battle for 148,000 votes in Ihiala

ALL is now set for supplementary election of Anambra State governorship today in Ihiala Local Government Area.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not hold any election in the area last Saturday because it failed to deploy officials there because of fear of insecurity.

As a result, the commission deliberated with security operatives Sunday night and came up with the decision of going ahead with the election today.

Police: we are ready for supplementary election

The Police said yesterday that all necessary security arrangements have been made to ensure that today’s supplementary election holds without any hitch.

The Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr. Echeng Echeng, said this yesterday while speaking on a live television programme monitored by The Nation.

On the level of preparation for the election today, Echeng said the police have beefed up security in Ihiala and were fully ready. He urged the electorates to go out to exercise their franchise, saying more security personnel had been mobilised and deployed.

What is at the stake

The Returning Officer for the governorship election and Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, had announced the supplementary election while as well suspending collation of further results in the governorship election.

Obi said it is important to complete the election in Ihiala Local Government Area as provided by the constitution for the winner of the governorship election to be declared.

The local government area has a total of 148,000 registered voters for the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Andy Uba and Mr. Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to vie for.

Soludo was declared winner in 18 local government areas from the 21 councils already released by INEC. Ozigbo and Ifeanyi Ubah of YPP won one council each.

The supplementary election would allow the 18 governorship candidates to participate.

Adjustment to voting time

The commission yesterday made a little adjustment to the time of the election, which starts at 10a.m. instead of 8.30a.m. The election will end at 4p.m. instead of 2.30p.m.

This was announced yesterday by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye.

“We urge political parties, voters, election duty officials, election observers, the media and the general public to note this slight modification. We also appeal to citizens to conduct themselves in an orderly manner to ensure that the election is brought to a peaceful conclusion,” Okoye said.

INEC urged to improve on BVAS machines

Executive Director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) Ms Faith Nwadishi yesterday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on the performance of the Bimodal Voters Authentication System (BVAS) in subsequent elections in the country.

The call is against the backdrop of Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra, where the group, an election observer entity, observed that the system malfunctioned at some of the polling centres.

Nwadishi, who made the call in a statement in Abuja yesterday, urged the commission to note the several reasons why the BVAS malfunctioned and take steps to improve its performance in subsequent elections.

APC carpets INEC over release of disputed results

But, the APC has faulted the cancellation and release of results by the INEC in many areas where the party allegedly won the election the governorship poll.

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Some of the areas, according to the State APC Chairman, Sir Basil Ejidike, are: Uke, Obosi, Nnewi North and South, Ogidi, Abatete, Onitsha South, Ojoto and Orumba South among other areas.

Briefing reporters yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Awka with the full complement of the State Working Committee (SWC), Ejidike said it was unfair for INEC to release the results of the disputed areas, despite protests from the returning officers in-charge.

Read Also: INEC adjusts voting time for Anambra supplementary poll
Besides, the party debunked the rumours making the rounds that the party chairman fainted when the result were being announced, that he called for cancellation of the election and made threats to challenge the outcome of the election, adding that they were the handiwork of opposition. Ejidike said he won his area at Bridge Head 006 convincingly, adding that people should disregard rumours making the round “from the enemies’ camps”.

He said the APC was in shock over what happened during last Saturday’s election, adding that it was a deliberate act by INEC to disenfranchise the party’s voters in their strongholds.

“We are not shaking. Everyone saw what happened in many areas in the state, including places where returning officers were forced to sign concocted figures under duress.

“APC has many of the results where it scored 10,000 votes and above and INEC cancelled them. Let them conclude the election in Ihiala,” the APC Chairman said.

Chieftain to APC: your woes self-inflicted

However, an APC chieftain and former governorship candidate in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, yesterday attributed the declining fortune of the party in the Southeast to poor reward system that undermined founding fathers and old members of the party in preference of new members.

According to Nwosu, APC leadership abandoned those that planted and nurtured the party in the Southeast and instead handed over its structure to defectors from other parties that never knew how APC was founded.

Also, the APC in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra yesterday berated the state party chairman over his alleged call for the cancellation of the governorship election.

Secretary of the party in the council Area, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nnebe, who stated this yesterday in a news briefing, described the call as inconsequential, stressing that Ejidike had no right to challenge the outcome of a peaceful and transparent poll.

He stressed that the party’s candidate, Uba, was not a valid candidate at the election, following alleged electoral fraud that produced him.

Be vigilant, CDD tells voters

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has warned citizens of the Anambra State to be vigilant.

Briefing reporters in Abuja, CDD Election Analyst, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the Anambra experience was an indication of the difficulties that would likely affect the conduct of the 2023 general elections with worsening insecurity in most parts of the country.

The CDD said persistent glitches with the BVAS have raised important questions about adapting technology to local environments.

It, however, said its successful deployment in many areas demonstrates the lingering benefit of integrating technology to prevent electoral malpractice.

Ozigbo: supplementary poll capable of upturning PDP fortunes

PDP candidate Ozigbo said yesterday all hope was not lost in the party winning the poll.

He said he was confident that the votes from the rescheduled election in Ihiala Local Government Area could upturn the fortune of the party.

Ozigbo argued that the PDP could still coast to victory in view of the number of registered voters in the area, which exceeded the number of votes the APGA was leading in the election.

Umahi denies accusing Obiano, Soludo of rigging election

The Ebonyi State Government has debunked reports, which claimed that Governor David Umahi said the APC will not accept outcome of the governorship election.

The state government said the governor did not make any statement on the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

Umahi’s Media Aide, Nwaze Francis, in a statement, was reacting to a post on social media, which quoted the Umahi, as accusing the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano and Soludo of rigging the election.

Nwaze said the state government and the governor had not commented on the election, urging the public to disregard such posts.

(Nation)