Enugu North Senatorial District records peaceful polls
NSUKKA—-The presidential and National Assembly elections were peaceful at Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State on Saturday.
Most of the polling units visited in Nsukka, Udenu, and Igbo-Eze South Local Government Areas in the Senatorial District recorded impressive voters turnout as people came out en masse to exercise their franchise.
However, there were violence at Owerreze Orba Ward I in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State where hooded men beat up Labour Party agent, identified as Chikwado Chikani, and equally destroyed electoral materials.
It was learnt that the hoodlums shot sporadically in the air and dispersed the electorates who have gathered in their numbers to cast their votes. An eletorate who pleaded for anonymity said that soldiers were deployed to the troubled polling unit, but the hoodlums returned the moment they left, adding that a yet-to-identified voter was shot on the leg and arm.
While addressing newsmen, the Enugu North Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ejike Eze, described the exercise in his Igbo-Eze South Council Area as peaceful.
He however, noted that the ballot boxes for the Senatorial polls were not marked in his polling unit, unlike that of the President and House of the Representatives.
“The INEC officials arrived at about 9 O’clock and accreditation and voting commenced. In previous elections, voting materials do arrive late, maybe around 1pm unlike this one. I voted at my Nnewi Hall polling unit in Ibagwa Aka, Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area at about 11 am.
“So far, voting has been peaceful but I got initial reports that people were using force to make the electorates vote for certain political parties against their wishes,” he said.
Also, the traditional ruler of Edem Ani autonomous community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, HRH, Igwe Ikechukwu Asadu, described the voting exercise in his community as peaceful.
He said that the INEC officials who arrived his community at about 9:15 am had initial challenges with the BVAS machines but fixed them almost immediately.
He said that the security agencies were equally on ground to maintain absolute peace, adding that the youths have woken up to take back their country from power-drunk politicians.
At the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, voters who turned out in their numbers at a polling unit in front of the New Art Theatre were disenchanted following late arrival of INEC officials.
A Professor of Mass Communication, Nnanyelugo Okoro, and a Reverend Father of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Ikechukwu Eze, articulated the reactions of the voters in the polling unit, who they said came out to vote as early as 8am but were yet to see any INEC official.
They said that people were very enthusiastic to vote and ensure that their votes counted.
