Voter apathy mars Anambra Assembly elections 

By Pamela Eboh Awka

As voters all over Nigeria go out to exercise their franchise, Anambra State has so far recorded an abysmal turnout of voters.

The current turn out of voters is a far cry from that of the February 25 presidential and national Assembly elections which recorded a massive turn out of voters.  .

Polling centres visited in Awka the State capital, showed near empty units as staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC sat idly.

At Mbala Ezi Obinagu polling unit in Awka South Local Government Area  that has above one thousand voters, only about fifteen eligible voters were seen lining up to cast their vote at about 9am.

The Independent National Electoral Commission staff members who came on time to attend to voters were this time left to sit under the sun with no canopies provided for them as was done during the presidential election.

At Aroma junction 1, polling unit 008, Awka South Local Government Area, at at 9:20pm, only six persons have been able to vote, despite the commencement of voting at 8:30am, and the swiftness of the BVAS machines.

Speaking to our correspondent, Mrs Chika Ndu said, “People are not coming out because they feel their votes may not count because of what happened last three weeks.

“It will take a level of enlightenment for people to accept to come out, because they believe their votes will not count.

“I cannot believe that this same place where I found it difficult to cast my vote last three weeks, I can just come in and in less than three minutes, I had cast my vote.”