Anambra guber poll results: Soludo leads in 17 out of 19 LGAs declared by INEC

 

.PDP, YPP win one each, no result for Orumba North

.INEC shifts poll in Ihiala council to Nov. 13

.CLO commends voters for peaceful conduct

.APGA chairman hails Buhari

By Phil Okose Oniitsha and Pamela Eboh,Awka

The results of the election were formally announced at the INEC state collation centre in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.

Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has secured the majority of the votes cast in Saturday’s Anambra governorship election.

The results of the election were formally announced at the INEC state collation centre in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.

Mr Soludo may, however, not be declared the winner of the election yet due to the technicalities with the figures.

The APGA candidate won in 17 of the 21 local government areas of the state. One local government was won by the PDP candidate (Valentine Ozigbo) while the candidate of the YPP, Ifeanyi Ubah, also won in one local government.

While Mr Soludo leads his closest challenger, Mr Ozigbo, with over 45,000 votes, Ihiala local government alone has over 148,000 registered voters.

Though results are still expected for other local government areas, two local government areas, election in Orumba North and Ihiala are still inconclusive.

While election did not hold in Ihiala, the result for Orumba North was contested by other political parties.

Ihiala local government area has over 148,000 registered voters and a win in the area will give Soludo double edge above his opponents and INEC has shifts poll in Ihiala council to Nov. 13

Total Votes for parties so far:

APGA -99,160

PDP- 49,475

APC- 40,270

YPP = 20,292.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor, Dr Nkem Okeke and former Governor Peter Obi lost in their respective local government areas in the Saturday election.

Recall that Okeke recently dumped APGA to join the All Progressive Congress (APC), citing unfair treatment by his principal for the decision.

Meanwhile, the party agent for the PDP, Dr Alex Obiogbolu has rejected the results so far declared.

He wondered why results should be declared when many voters were disenfranchised.

Obiogbolu, “The issue of INEV BVAS was widespread in the state. 17 local  government areas were mostly effected, leading to a lot of voters being disenfranchised.

“There was no election in Ihiala local government area while in Orumba North, the result was rejected because many people could not vote.”

However, Cleen Foundation, an NGO, has lauded the conduct of INEC officials and that of security personnel deployed for Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra.

 

Mrs Ruth Olofin, its Executive Director, told newsmen in Awka on Sunday that the NGO monitored the conduct of security operatives at the election in collaboration with the Police Service Commission and a media outfit.

 

She said the NGO deployed its mobile application called the Cleen Mobile App which allows accredited observers to report security issues from their respective posts.

 

“Our 21-man Election Security Support Centre tracked, documented, escalated and followed up on security-related issues across local government areas during the election.

 

“There was adequacy of security personnel at all polling units. The minimum number of security officials seen in polling units was one, while we also recorded up to 16 security officials in polling units in some hotspots.

 

“We also observed that 88.2 per cent of the security personnel were wearing easily identifiable nametags and this is commendable. However, we observed that 11.8 per cent were not wearing easily identifiable nametags.

 

“We observed that 64.7 per cent of polling units were protected by unarmed security personnel. There were reports, however, of firearm possession by security personnel on patrol.

 

“The statistics generated indicated that 47 per cent of security personnel arrived at polling units before 9 a.m., while 53 per cent arrived after 9 a.m.

 

“This is below average and we urge security agencies to improve on timeliness in terms of arrival in subsequent elections,’’ Olofin said.

 

“INEC’s technical teams responded to some of the technical challenges as they arose, which is laudable,’’ she added.

 

Olofin said that other information related to election security were tracked and verified through credible media sources and social media platforms of credible partners.

 

She said that there was a general calm across the state and an improvement in voters’ turn out at the election,

 

She said also that there were challenges with logistics and deployment of voting materials in some parts of the state.

 

Olofin also told newsmen that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices deployed by INEC malfunctioned in some polling units.

 

She noted that challenges ranged from internet connectivity, lack of facial recognition and authorisation of fingerprints; some were also linked to errors during voter registration.

 

The NGO’s executive director lauded the turnout of women and youths at the election.

 

Olofin, however, lamented that security personnel deployed, especially by the Nigeria Police Force, were poorly remunerated as a lot of policemen were found without hospitable accommodation.

 

She said that it portrayed a wrong impression and brought to fore, the issue of welfare package for police officers which had been a recurring challenge in previous elections.

 

She urged the police hierarchy to improve on the welfare package of police officers deployed for election in the future.

 

According to her, the proper and adequate remuneration of security personnel will boost their motivation and ensure that officers discharge their mandate without prejudice or undue influence by political actors.

 

Olofin also urged INEC to ensure improvement in the distribution of materials to avoid disenfranchisement of citizens and also to improve the response time for addressing the BVAS challenges to increase voters’ trust in the process.

 

“We observed that voting did not begin early in some polling units because the BVAS devices malfunctioned.

 

“For Instance, in Polling Units 010, 011 and 014 in Ward 3, Dunukofia Local Government Area, there were reports of late accreditation because the BVAS devices malfunctioned.

 

“Similarly, at virtually all the polling units at Ward 2, Anambra East LGA, and Polling unit 4, Ward 4, Abaga, Njikoka LGA, we observed that the malfunctioning of the BVAS and poor logistics by INEC caused delay in the commencement of voting.

 

“Officials were seen working hard to reach their ICT centres to resolve the issues.

 

“There was late arrival of electoral officers at polling unit 7, 8, 9, & 10, Ward 1 Ekwusigo LGA, and also at polling unit 001, Ward 2, Ihiala LGA, where INEC officials and election materials were not present until 1p.m.

 

“In spite of the delay, voters were present at the unit waiting for the officials to arrive.

 

“INEC should work to improve on the BVAS devices and other technical tools and materials to aid easy, swift, and advanced electoral process in the future,’’ she said.

 

She said the NGO would continue to observe the election and later issue a post-election statement with more details on the overall conduct of the security personnel.

 

Olofin enjoined INEC, law enforcement and security agencies to maintain the highest level of professionalism during result collation by guarding against any form of compromise that could scuttle the democratic process.

Also, the Anambra state Chairman of Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, Sunday commended citizenry, residents, political parties and gladiators for their peaceful, civil and harmonious conduct during and after yesterday governorship election.

 

‘They have shown and demonstrated indeed as truly the light of the nation by proving prophets of doom wrong assertion that the election will be violent and disastrous”

 

In a press release to  newsmen  in Oniitsha, titled, “We can do It better” Ezekwueme commended INEC, Security Personnel, Civil Society Organizations, International-Society, stakeholders and those who contributed immensely towards peaceful and successful conduct of November 6th governorship election.

 

“We however condemned with great disdain failures of Bi-Model Voters Accreditation System otherwise known as BVAS, lateness of electoral  officials and materials, inadequate or absence of security personnel in some polling units and voting centers,unprecedented and outrageous vote buying, systematic disenfranchisement of voters, inducements and intimidations which is a great threat to our democratic spirit and principles”

 

“It is very unfortunate and despicable that citizens of the state have failed to avoid one of the mahatma Gandhi’s seven blunders of the world, right without responsibility.”

 

“Majority of the citizenry have failed, refused and neglected to exercise their civic duty to vote in an election that hold their future and that of their children.”

 

“It is incredible but existential reality that since the history of the state, this is first time voters apathy reached its apogee that less than ten percent of estimated  2.5 million registered voters cast their votes.

 

“As collection and counting of votes continue” CLO is eagerly looking forward for honest conclusion of the election that will be acceptable to both winner and losers due to it’ credibility”.

Reacting to the election, Chief Victor Oye, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress Alliance (APGA) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring that Saturday’s Anambra governorship election was credible.

 

Oye said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday.

 

He said that Buhari had proven to be a father by giving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) free hands to conduct the election without interference.

 

“President Muhammadu Buhari has always been a father by allowing INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election in the country.

 

“He will also insist on allowing the people’s will to prevail and not the other way round.

 

“Left to some other people, the election will have been rigged in favour of another party.

 

“But he has always tell them to allow the choice of the people to prevail, that is why APGA is willing the election,” Oye said.

 

He commended residents of the state for the peaceful conduct of the election.

 

“Anambra people are known to be peaceful, the violence we had sometime ago was imported, our people are not in any way associated with violence,” he said.

 

Reacting to calls for supplementary election in some areas affected by malfunctioning of INEC voting equipment, Oye said such election would only enhance the victory of the party.