Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The ongoing Governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the country is recording low turnout of voters in Ebonyi State unlike the presidential and National Assembly elections that recorded massive turn out of the voters.
In most of the polling units visited, few voters were seen exercising their franchise.
At Amudo Primary School polling unit in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state, one of the voters, Paul Onyia, attributed the apathy to difficulties of the voters in accessing their polling units because of lack of logistics.
The situation was the same in Orie Egbe market square polling unit in the local government.
But the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Benjamin Umezuruike, who voted in his Onu Ofukuru polling unit, Umunaga ward 2 in Uburu community, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, said he can’t determine if there is apathy at the polls until voting was concluded
He said: “So far so good. The turn out is so good for the governorship election. But I can’t compare the turn out with that of presidential until the voting is concluded.”
Meanwhile, there were reports of ballot snatching in some areas in the state.
In a video trending online, a fire was burning on the road with what is suspected to be electoral materials.
An accompanying write up claimed the incident happened in Ekwetekwe Umuezeoka in Ezza North.
“They attacked INEC officials on the road and burnt all the election materials,” a voice was heard saying in the video.
The voice further explained that the materials burnt were to be used in about three polling units in the area.
In Omege and Ekka communities also in Ezza North Local Government Area, the same ballot box snatching were recorded according to reports.
INEC Resident Electoral Officer, (REC), Pauline Onyeka, said the commission has gotten reports of many cases of electoral violence in the local government and other parts of the state.
She said the Commission in the state was waiting for further directives on the next line of action regarding the affected polling units and wards.
