By Godfrey AKON
The off-cycle governorship election in Imo State on Saturday was gripped by widespread voter apathy in Owerri Municipal Area Council.
The exercise, which was generally orderly and peaceful in all the places monitored by our correspondent, as at the time of filing this report, had most of the polling units, PUs, with only a handful of voters.
Owerri Municipal Area Council has 239 polling units with a population of 134,194 registered voters who have collected 120,586 permanent voters cards, PVCs.
The low turnout of voters is attributed to the fear that votes won’t count and the heavy presence of security personnel in all major roads of the city.
Recall that Omo State has been enmeshed in security challenges and in the build up to the election, there were predictions of widespread violence, a situation that may have accounted for the low turnout.
At polling unit 006, domiciled in Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, the low turnout was palpable as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were seen siting idly and waiting for the 1,724 registered voters to come forward for accreditation and voting at 10:30am.
Sources at the college however told newsmen that the closure of the institution before election accounted for the scant presence of voters as the voting population in the polling unit is mostly students and staff of the college.
The situation was not different at polling unit 017, Infront of Assemblies of God Church, New Owerri II, where accreditation was ongoing at 9:50am but less than 15 persons, out of the 750 registered voters in the PU, were on a queue to be accredited for voting.
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, also gave INEC officials at the PU a difficult time as both the finger and facial recognition were not working.
A similar situation was observed at polling unit 019 in front of Hot FM, Owerri II, INEC officials were siting and waiting patiently for voters turn out for accreditation at 9:41am.
Also, at polling unit 012, beside Owerri post office, with five registered voters, INEC officials were waiting for voters at 10.10am to commence accreditation and voting.
At polling unit 019 in front of Swiftel Pharmacy, Owerri Municipal, INEC officials arrived very early but 9:00am accreditation and voting was yet to commence as voters were not in sight.
The polling unit has 153 registered voters,
Also, at polling unit 06 in Fizz Primary school 2, New Owerri 2, INEC officials were on ground since 7:30am but as at 9:25am voters are yet to show up for accreditation and voting.
Meanwhile, at polling unit 011 located in Imo International Conference Centre, INEC officials were in the sun, patiently waiting for voters as no canopies or shade were provided for them.
Some party agents however rolled in a police traffic control cubicle to help shade the officials from the sun, but accreditation and voting was yet to commence in the polling unit with 242 registered voters at 10:06am.
Speaking on the election, a retiree of Alvan Ikoku College of Education Owerri, Chief Titus Ebebe, confirmed that the turnout was not encouraging, stating that voter apathy was not good for the country’s democracy.
Ebebe however noted that the most important thing was that the exercise was peaceful and orderly.
Another voter, Mr Christopher Nwosu, who praised the peaceful nature of the exercise in Owerri, however said only the police should be allowed to secure elections and address civil matters as the military’s business is in the barracks.
Nwosu prayed that the election across the state will turn out peaceful, adding that whoever wins, Imo citizens will rally round him.
A voter, who described himself as a party chieftain, Mr Sam Oparanku, said the exercise was peaceful and orderly and it took him 9 only minutes to be accredited and vote.
Okparanku said “There’s quiet, the election is going on smoothly; there’s no chaos, no violence; these are the climax of a good election. Nobody is forced to vote anywhere, everyone is voting according to his conscience. I am satisfied with the people who came out.”
