National elections roll off shakily, improve steadily

*Igbos barred at Lagos polling units

Sopuruchi Onwuka

The much awaited elections into national political leadership positions took off as planned Saturday morning with reports of logistics glitches across the states and missing logo of the Labour Party in ballot papers meant for Lagos State.

As threatened, tens of thousands of Igbo voters in the market strongholds of Ojo and environs were barred from entering polling units by election officials supported by thugs.

All the three major presidential candidates representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also cast their votes before noon.

In bizarre display of support for his preferred candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari displayed his ballot paper where his seen voting for the candidate of his party.

And in following Buhari’s example, the Governor of Benue State, Mr Samuel Ortom, also displayed his ballot, revealing his vote for the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.

It was a mix grill of tales from various locations in the country where elections suffered delayed take off as willing voters loitered endlessly while waiting for officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to arrive polling centers with polling materials.

Videos of violence in Ebonyi State where elements of disruption attempted derailing the process surfed the internet. Whereas the videos could not be verified at the time of this report, security agencies had in a counter broadcast declared readiness to deal with threats of such disruption in the Southeast parts of the country.

In Abia State, INEC officials grappled with insufficient polling materials as massive voter turnout mounted early pressure on available resources that arrived late.

INEC officials blamed their late arrival on transport and logistics challenges.

The situation of late arrival of INEC officials was compounded by acute shortfall in ballot papers to rapidly turn the process into protest.

Some significant shortfall of 48,000 ballot papers caused voters in the Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency elections caused protests in the area.

The protesters who gathered at Ward 4, Epie 1, which has 47 units, covering Agudama and Akenpai Communities, are insisting that elections would not hold in their area until the missing ballot papers are replaced.

The Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO), Austin Atekere, said received materials from the INEC headquarters in Yenagoa were not sorted until they got to the ward headquarters.

Late arrival of polling staff and materials was widespread with the problem recorded in many parts of the country. Facilities for data capturing also registered hitches which electoral officials attributed to poor telecommunications signals.

Interception of cash hauls meant for vote buying was also reported in several states of the country.

Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) stated that it arrested certain Hassan Ahmad for being in possession of N2.0 million in both old and new currencies.

Spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, the suspect was arrested by the Troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Operation Safe Conduct deployed to Alkaleri in Bauchi State and handed over to the Bauchi State Office of the anti-graft agency.
The suspect reportedly confessed that the funds were being moved to Gombe State for a politician.

Earlier in a separate incident, Rivers police command had arrested federal law maker, Chinyere Igwe, with $498,100 cash.

Hours after Igwe’s arrest, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also announced the discovery of N32.4 million suspected to be for vote-buying in Lagos state.

Also in a obvous move to forestall distribution of cash for vote buying, the EFCC stormed the polling unit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the morning of the presidential and National Assembly Elections.

Attacks on INEC also happened.

Police confirmed attack on INEC ad hoc staff camped at the Tudunwada Primary School in Gombe metropolis.

Commissioner of Police in Gombe, Oqua Etim, said the ad hoc staff who moved with materials ahead of the security personnel in apparent mistake were attacked by suspected hoodlums.

And in apparent measure to twat the threats on Lagos resident to show snap shots of their votes, INEC banned mobile phones, photo devices in voting cubicles.

INEC Voter Education and Publicity Committee Chairman Festus Okoye stated on Channels Television interview that voters are not allowed to use mobile phones or any other photographic device in voting cubicles to take pictures.

In some places in Lagos, voting centers are alleged to have been captured by officials said to be working for one of the candidates in the presidential election; locking out eligible voters and manipulating the process.

Videos by aggrieved victims also surf the net.

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