Today’s governorship election has large and surprised turn out of voters in Anambra Central zone amid fears of insecurity.
It has been envisaged that there would be voter apathy given the spate of attacks prior to Saturday’s governorship election with heavy casualties. The attacks were largely carried out by the militant wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but which they have denied.
Surprising, voters have overcome fears and filed out early in the Central one to cast votes even when election materials and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were yet to arrive polling units as at 10.00am and in some communities as at 11.00am.
In communities of Amawbia, Enugwu-Ukwu, Ogidi and other areas visited, there were large turnout with long queue of voters, waiting to be accredited for voting.
The defected Deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke in an interview with newsmen at the poliing unit 005 at Umueze Awozu, Enugwu-Ukwu ward 3 commended voters for their large turn out, but however, attributed the turn out to the decision of the Federal government to deploy massive security in the State.
He said, people are no longer panicking as a result of security presence.
The Deputy governor arrived the polling unit when large voters were already waiting and immediately it was his turn, he got captured within two minutes before casting his vote.
Okeke after cast his vote displayed his ballot paper and told the public that he voted for his new party, APC and taunted APGA.
“I had to reveal my ballot paper because they have been rumours that I had defected back to APGA, but that is not true. You just saw that I voted for my party, APC.”
After he was accredited within a short period of time, Okeke applauds INEC’s Biometric Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), which he said has made the process easy.
“This is the easiest that I have had in voting ever. The process is very seamless and as you can see, I have just voted. In other election, I have always had problem of finger print, but this is different and seamless.”
Security personnel are everywhere with their hands on the trigger with some strategically located for any eventualities.
As at the time of filing the report, there are no reported cases of violence.
