19 March 2023
The just concluded Gubernatorial and States House of Assembly election in all the state where the exercise was held recorded voters apathy.
Unlike the presidential and National Assembly elections that recorded high turnout, many voters did not show up to vote yesterday.
In Delta State, every polling unit suffered voters apathy while
the BVAS machines reportedly to have worked seamlessly at practically all polling centres across the state but there were a few cases of violence reported.
Two young men were shot dead by military personnel at Mosogar in Ethiope West Local Government Area as they allegedly tried to flee a polling unit with snatched ballot boxes while one of two persons who disrupted the polling exercise at Utagaba-Uno in Ndokwa West Local Government Area was also reportedly killed.
Okowa, who was impressed with the smooth running of the process and working BVAS machines, appealed to the people to put behind them the disappointment over the failure of INEC in the previous election to keep its promise to upload the BVAS results.
There were conflicting reports of disruption of election process at Evwreni in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, hometown of the 2015 governorship candidate of the Labour Party and a founding member of the APC, O’tega Emerhor.
While a serving member of the State Executive Council was alleged to have led thugs to attack the polling centre and destroyed voting materials in some of the polling units in the community, another account alleged that the APC chieftain had masterminded the disruptive attack witnessed in the community on election day.
There was yet no independent confirmation of those behind the violence at polling units in Evwreni community at the time of filing this report even as the security personnel deployed in the community were apparently unable to stop the distruption or arrest the suspected thugs.
Other states also experienced voters apathy.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai who also experienced low turn out of Voters in his state alleged it to intimidation of voters in Southern part of the state.
Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi and LP Senator-elect, Victor Umeh also wept over voter apathy in the Anambra state.
During the election, five persons suspected to be thugs of one of the political parties in the State were arrested by the security operatives
The suspects were arrested at Ihiala local government area, during the House of Assembly elections.
There were other arrest made across the state.
