Anambra Supplementary Poll: APC, PDP, others boycott election

There was low voter turnout in the election.
The polling agents of the All Progressives Congress, APC; Labour Party, LP; and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were conspicuously absent during the supplementary election on Saturday.
The three parties are the major challengers to the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the governorship election. Their candidates had announced that they were boycotting the supplementary election. However, although Tony Nwoye said he would boycott the election, the PDP headquarters in Abuja asked its members in Anambra to participate in the election; a directive that was obviously ignored.
The APC, Labour Party and Mr. Nwoye had called for the cancellation of the November 16 governorship election citing massive disenfranchisement of voters whose names were missing in the voters register and late delivery of electoral materials.
INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, had admitted that one of its officials sabotaged the election in some parts of the state but that the sabotage was not enough to cancel the whole election. It therefore called for a supplementary election in some areas, which was held on Saturday. Before then, the APGA candidate, Willie Obiano, was announced by INEC as leading other candidates by over 70,000 votes.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that only APGA had polling agents in all the units where the supplementary election took place in the areas visited.
The 16 local government areas where INEC is conducting the supplementary election are Aguata, Awka North, Awka South, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Anaocha, Ekwusigo, Idemili North and Idemili South.
Others are Ihiala, Nnewi South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North and Oyi.
Voter apathy was observed generally as youth were seen playing football at the Central School, Nkpor, under the watchful eyes of security personnel; while traders were engaged in business activities at Afor Nkpor Market. In some polling units the turnout was less than 10 per cent.
Security operatives were also seen in their numbers stopping and parking motorists who disobeyed the movement restriction order.
Reacting to the development, the state PDP Chairman, Ken Emeakayi, complained about the low turnout of voters.
Mr. Emeakayi further said that INEC should not have allowed the APGA candidate, Willie Obiano, to participate in the election because of his alleged multiple registration.
He told journalists in Awka that PDP had already gone to court to challenge that action.
“My party has all the true documents from Lagos INEC office ready for the court battles.
“Our source revealed that as at Oct. 20, 2013, Willie Obiano’s name remained on the list as a registered voter in Lagos.”
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Edozie Aroh, who was seen with police officers, said that everything was moving fine.
(NAN)