Two explosions in Onitsha and Awka the presidential and national assembly elections in Anambra State on Saturday.
The explosions nearly marred the elections as thye scared the electorate many of whom scampered for safety.
The Onitsha explosion happened at the Onitsha South Local Government Headquarters, though without any damage but the Awka incident was at Ayomna Okpala Primary School 001 polling unit Amenyi Ward 1 Awka-South.
It took the timely intervention of the anti-bomb squad to rescue the situation, though no casualties were recorded the school building was destroyed in Awka. An eye witness that confirmed the incident, who gave his name as Mr. Isaac Nwosu, said voters came out for accreditation but were shocked beyond their marrows when the explosion occurred. It disrupted the exercise and one of the classroom blocks was demolished as a result of the explosion.
A House of Representatives’ candidate and All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker for Awka North/South Federal Constituency, Hon. Emeke Nwogbo was dumb-founded on the situation and so declined to make comments. However, accreditation of voters, which was billed to start at 8am, did not hold in any part of the state till 11:30 to 12 mid day, while the card reader experiment failed woefully.
One of the senatorial contestants for Anambra Central Senatorial zone, Senator Chris Ngige of the APC, described the exercise as faulty and withdrew his voting right. He told reporters yesterday that he suspected a foul play from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the party wanted to win the election at all cost. Ngige, who was at his Nkwo Ide Ward 1 in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area, said people were frustrated because of the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), adding that it was the reason he waired his right to vote.
Also, the former Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, expressed frustration because of the flaws during the elections on Saturday.
Ndukwe who is flying the flag of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra South Senatorial District had not voted as at 3:30pm yesterday. For Chief Victor Umeh, another APGA candidate in the Central Senatorial District, the exercise was clumsy. Umeh who voted at 4:10pm was still battling with the crowd at Aguluzigbo Town Hall ward as at 5pm yesterday while the electorate where busy cursing those behind the lapses during the election.
At the Anambra North Senatorial Zone, Chief Dubem Obaze was weak and handicapped as drivers refused to carry electoral materials from the local government headquarters as a result of not being paid by INEC. At the CPS Ochuche Umuodu Ward 4, Obaze was seen with his elder brother and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Oseloka Obaze, hovering within the premises and asking questions while things were not working out.
A PDP stalwart in Onitsha, Senator Joy Emodi, wondered why materials had not reached their destinations as at 11am yesterday. However she displayed confidence that her party would emerge victorious in the exercise in Anambra State. The presidential and national assembly elections in Anambra State were peaceful notwithstanding the hiccups occasioned by non-availability of materials, disenfranchisement of voters as a result of faulty card readers.
Despite the court injunctions restraining the deployment of military for the elections, they were seen everywhere in the state, where roads were blocked, while the military and the navy wore different new uniforms with a tag on their vehicles “Operation Save Conduct”
Meanwhile, former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, had a brawl with a young boy in his Agulu community which almost ensued in fisticuffs at the polling centre. But Obi explained that it wasn’t a fight but that the boy was nearly beaten up except for his intervention when he was trying to disrupt the electoral process, describing the young man as insane. Agency report
