From David
Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
There was pandemonium at Enem Hall, Otolo Nnewi Ward II, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, when four gunmen allegedly pulled their shot guns while voting was going on about 12 noon.
Eyewitnesses at the polling station said a prominent Nnewi politician stormed the polling unit and dolled out money, which he threw to voters as he was about leaving. The eyewitness said that when voters struggled to grab the naira notes thrown at them, four young boys from the crowd appeard and pulled their shot guns, picked the money and ran into a nearby bush.
Sunday Sun learnt that the incident put the voters on their toes, even as security agents posted to the polling unit were helpless.
At Obi Okpuneze Uruagu Ward I, voters complained that ballot box 0017 was missing from the materials sent to the polling unit at about 11:30 am.
The voters insisted that they would not vote until the ballot box was returned. According to one of the voters, Mr Nkemdirim Anuamadi, they would prefer not to vote at all than to vote when some materials were missing.
Generally, accreditation started in Nnewi at 8:30am, but there was low turnout of voters compared to previous elections. This was the situation in Akamili Central School, Umudim, Agbo Central School, Umudim, Uru Hall and many other places visited.
Commenting on the election, wife of late Ikemba Nnewi and former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, Bianca Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who voted at St. Stephen Ward II, Umudim, said she saw a very orderly process, noting that people were abiding by the rules to exercise their franchise.
She commended officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their professional conduct.
On the turnout, she said it could have been much better, adding that “what we see today is not as much as we had during the last electoral season.”
A lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko told Sunday Sun that he was surprised that people came out at all to vote considering the propaganda and threat by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) before the election.
Also, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innosons Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, commended the INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election.
Founder of the Reality Forum, an APGA support group in Nnewi, Comrade Uzor Nwosu also said the election was peaceful, but alleged that other political parties were buying votes with money.