Ozigbo, Uba, win polling units
By Emma Ogbuehi
Registered voters who could not vote yesterday in the Anambra State governorship election due to technical issues and system failure on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), will be given the opportunity to do so, today. This was the declaration of INEC yesterday in obvious bid to calm distraught voters who could not exercise their franchise following the failure of the technology deployed for the poll and the late arrival of the Commission’s officials.
INEC’s accreditation of voters through the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, suffered setbacks in many polling units across the state. Following complaints from a cross section of the state, INEC extended the voting beyond the closing time of 2.30pm yesterday and allowed the process to continue today.
INEC Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who attributed the failure of the BVAS to software breach, explained that the extension was, to enable those who could not cast their votes to do so.
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The remedy comes as the candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Charles Soludo, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Valentine Ozigbo and All Progressives Congress (APC), clinched victories in their respective polling units.
The candidate of APGA, who voted at Isuofia Ward 13, Unit 002 in the Aguata LGA, scored 126 votes while PDP scored five and both APC and YPP scored three votes each.
Ozigbo of the PDP, who voted at polling unit 010 Social Center, Ward 005 of the Aguata Local Government Area scored 75 votes, followed by APGA with eight votes while the APC scored two.
The APC candidate, who voted at Saint Peter’s Catholic School, Uga Ward 16, Polling Unit 10 of Aguata Local Government, scored 80, followed by APGA with 10 votes, YPP scored five votes while PDP scored two votes.
Against initial fears by many, voter turn-out in the election was huge in many parts of the state. Observers attributed the massive turn-out to the release by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra IPOB (IPOB), suspending the earlier announced sit at home order billed to commence on November 5 in the south east.
The Director of Publicity for IPOB, Emma Powerful had earlier announced that it would commence a sit-at-home exercise if the leader of the organisation, Mazi Nnamd Kanu was not released unconditionally before the advertised date.
But in a statement on Thursday, IPOB said that it had to suspend the order following the appeal by the elders in the south east coupled with the grave economic implications of the action on the people.
Early results point to Soludo leading in 10 councils. Anambra has 21 local government areas. The final results will be declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).