Late arrival of electoral materials hamper Council polls in Abia

By Ijendu Iheaka

December 21, 2016 

Abia state LG elections held on Wednesday amidst late dispatch of electoral materials from the Registration Area Centres (RAC) to polling units.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election billed to start by 8 am and end by 3 pm was yet to take-off by 12 pm at most polling centres around Aba.

In Osisioma local government, the materials started arriving at about 10: 30 am while voting began at different times in different locations. 

At Ngwa High School centre, Ward 5, voting commenced at about 11:49 am with low turn-out of voters.

Our reporter who visited Abayi-Umueze Primary school centre, Ward 3 by 9:40 am reports that the centre was almost empty except for three persons seen waiting for arrival of electoral materials.

At Amuzu Ward 5 still in Osisioma LGA, voting began also late at about 12 am.

At Aba North LG headquarters, an electoral officer who refused to be named said the late distribution of the materials was the result of the confusions caused by politicians and party agents.

“They insisted that they must inspect the election material before they are moved out which is not provided for in the electoral law and we had to reach an agreement to allow them do so.

“Yet they kept disturbing us. Some of them would not allow unit ad hoc staffers to go into their vehicles and leave to make way for others to collect theirs” he said.

Another electoral officer at the Aba South local government also said that the decision by party agents to cross-check the election materials resulted in late distribution at the RAC.

However, Emmanuel Nwachukwu of the APC, Aba South said that the delay was because of an alleged crisis created by ABSIEC.

“Ward  7 Igwebuike has 19 units but three units were moved to Nnentu Ngwa which is far from the original ward.

“So we the party agents were ensuring that ABSIEC will sign papers that the electoral materials for those wards not properly situated would not be used to rig elections. That is what had delayed our materials from leaving’, he said.

However, an APGA member, Nwachi Egeruo said that ABSIEC provided ad hoc staff for only 15 units for a zone in the local government with 26 units leaving out 11. 

He said that they had waited to ensure ABSIEC explained to them who would conduct the elections in the rest units but were yet to get answers.

Eze Ugochukwu Ihediwa, the traditional ruler of Umunna-Ato Ariaria II Autonomous Community said that he was yet to vote by 1 pm our reporter visited the Ariaria Ward 9.

He said that the electoral materials had not arrived his polling Unit stressing that he had to leave because he was tired of waiting.

The election had a low turn-out in Aba area which observers attributed to voter apathy and the poor arrangement which out-spaced the polling units and distributing them poorly among residents.