Author: The Nation

The governorship election in Anambra State on Saturday was marred by disenfranchisement of votes, logistic problems and pockets of violence.Some of the major contenders in the race were dissatisfied with the exercise.

In Alor, the ward of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, only 72 names were found in the register containing 600 voters.

The names of the  flag bearer of Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP)  Comrade Tony Nwoye and his parents  were not found on the voting list and could not vote at their  polling booths in  Nsugbe.

Nwoyes mentor and chief financier, Chief Arthur Eze, could also  not vote. His name was also missing. Independent National Electoral Commission  officials at the polling booths  could not give reasons for the omission of the names of the affected persons  who had valid voters card.
Speaking with  newsmen later, Nwoye said the rigging of the election was pre-planned with the  use the police and the army.

He said his parents and himself voted in the same ward where their names could not be found now during the last general election in 2011.

According to him, over 70 percent of the registered names in his ward were missing. He lamented his inability to reach the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega to lodge a formal complain.
“Unlike during the time of Iwu when I was the PDP chairman in the state, you get him with just one dial,” he said.
He said he is resigning himself to fate until the results of the elections were released.
Voters affected by last year’s flood disaster, estimated to be about  three thousands, could not vote in many centres due to loss of their voters cards to the flood.
The people of Anambra East and Ogbaru local government council areas were worst hit.
They had come out for accreditation in the morning, like all other voters, but could not produce their cards having lost all of them to the flood.

The obviously unhappy voters complained to the traditional ruler of Aguleri, Igwe Christopher Idigo, when he arrived the St. Jude Catholic Church voting centre for accreditation.
Disturbed by the complaints, the Igwe with some members of his council sought for a solution. They approached the INEC officials who referred them to the Supervisory Officer. After consulting with the Supervisory officer, Chinenye Okonkwo, the party agents at the polling centre were summoned.
It was agreed between the INEC officials and all the party agents that the affected voters be allowed to vote as long as they were identified and their names and photographs were in the register.

Late accreditation and other sundry logistic also affected the election. For instance voting which ought to have begun by 8am, was yet to start in most centres  as at 10am.
At the voting unit in Ogbankwa, in Awka South Local Government Area, where there are 20 wards, voters were patiently waiting for voting materials to arrive. At Unit 26 in Ward 3, Ezinano, Agulu LGA, accreditation begun at about 9.30am. About nine persons had been accredited when The Nation visited there.
There was confusion over a voting centre in Nziko in Oyi Local Government Area as two major polling units there had to be urgently relocated for security reasons.
Voters were said to have come out for accreditation but did not meet any voting officer there.
It led to panic calls to INEC headquarters, but it was later learnt that National Commissioner in charge of Oyi LGA Ambassador Ahmed Wali intervened to resolve the problem.
The notorious centre, said to be located inside a thick forest, is known as a rigging centre in Anambra.