Despite the fact that late arrival of materials brought about delay in the commencement of Presidential and National Assembly election in parts of Enugwu-Ukwu, Njikoka council area, and environs, the election held successfully.
Correspondent Ngozi Obileri reports that elections commenced at about twelve noon in some areas, and twenty-five minutes to three o’clock in the afternoon in some polling units.
Electorate in Enugwu-Ukwu were stranded having stayed at various polling units from eight o’clock in the morning till past twelve mid-day, as they waited for INEC materials to arrive for the election.
At some minutes to one o’clock in the afternoon, election started in some polling units like Ebe Enuagu hall, Enugwu-Ukwu, Umuezu Awovu Enugwu-Ukwu and started around three o’clock in the afternoon at Adagbe Avomimi where materials arrived very late without some of the sensitive materials.
However, the situation was a bit different at Abagana where voting commenced around ten in the morning.
Speaking on the development , the Nigeria Ambassador to Republic of Burundi, Chief Elijah Onyeagba said that late arrival of the materials was a major setback as the BVAs machine was slow.
Chief Onyeagba noted that the situation brought about long que of voters who waited patiently to cast their vote, a situation he said may warrant that voting will last into late evening.
A stakeholder at Adegbe Avomimi ward 2 Enugwu-Ukwu, Mr Ekene Okechukwu said he was not happy with the way their people were treated during the election despite all the assurances by the INEC and called for a review of electoral process in Nigeria so that people can vote without stress.
On his part, the Candidate of Young Progressives Party, YPP, Dr Chinedu Umeadi who said that there is some level of improvement in the conduct of the election said there is room for improvement.
He said he is looking forward to when voting would be done online, to allow people vote from the comfort of their homes, and get people to raise issue-based campaigns even as he said that when that happens, the issue of having problems with BVAs machines would have been laid to rest.
At ILO-Udu Orofia, Ogbu Abatete, Ward 1, which has three pulling units, 011, 012 and 032 the exercise went well but for late arrival of materials.
A native of the community resident in United Kingdom, Dr Charles Ojukwu who voted at unit O11, noted that material for the election arrived late, but the electorate waited patiently, calling on INEC to look for ways to encourage diasporas to cast their vote without coming down to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, voting was still on going in various polling units in Enugwu-Ukwu as at twenty minutes past four o’clock in the evening of Saturday , while collation of the results were on going at Central School Alor units four, five and six and Uzubi Primary school Eziowelle as at five o’clock in the evening of yesterday, time of this report.
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