This story below is from an unusual source but I have to serve you the gist as the writer presented it unedited.
Apprehension can best describe the mood in Nnewi
North local government area of Anambra State following the conduct of local
government election in the area last Saturday.
The election which was conducted along with other Council areas in the state on the 11th of January 2014 was postponed to 18th January 2014
but the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) cancelled the
exercise alleging insecurity in the area.
According
to release signed by the Acting Chairman of ANSIEC Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo for
cancelling the said election, the body alleged insecurity contending that the
exercise cannot stand.
But the state police command told reporters that there was not report or incidence
of violence in any part of Nnewi North local government area insisting that the
exercise was peaceful, free and fair”.
On the election day proper result sheets for the chairmanship and councillorship
elections were not made available but the booth by booth result sheets signed
by political party agents showed that the Labour Party (LP) chairmanship
candidate Mrs. Ify Dennis Ofojebe scored 8,218 to beat the All progressives
Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate which scored 5,082 vote while the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) scored 1,357 votes
Also
the Labour Party won in eight councillorship wards out of the ten wards while
APGA won two councillorship wards in the said election.
When reporters visited Nnewi North council area yesterday, the Labour Party Campaign Office for its governorship candidate Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, seven police patrol vehicles with heavily armed police men were stationed there in a bid to
averting any form of protest match by party members.
Director of field operations for the Labour Party Barr Benson
Nwosu said that the police prevented them from going on the planned peaceful
protest hence they had to remain at the campaign office displaying placards.
Nwosu further described the actions of ANSIEC as one done in bad taste contending
that those alleging violence or insecurity were only being anti people.
“The election was conducted peacefully. We had 198 polling units in Nnewi North
local government area. Before the election we were at Nnewi North ANSIEC office
where the materials were distributed and carried to the various polling units
and as early as 9:00am the election have started. It was peaceful, there was no
reported violence. You can go round and ask question if there was violence. And
if there was, how many people were arrested by the security personnel. The
election was concluded and various polling agents collected the various pulling
unit results of 198 centers. You can see for your selves. I am holding one now
which is my ward, Nnewi ward I. this is the results and you can see that is on
ANSIEC document, recognized by law. We collected all the polling unit results
and because we were told to come to Nnewi North headquarters so that form EC8A
the one you use to collect results, we did not see any such result sheets. When
we got there, there was nobody except the security people.
“The
ANSIEC officials that we saw said that we are waiting for orders to release the
result sheets to the polling units and we went back to our polling units but
about an hour after I went back there to know if they are coming or not and I
was told that the Electoral Officer (EO) and the rest of ANSIEC officials have
run away to Awka for reasons best known to them.
Also
speaking, the chairmanship candidate of Labour Party Mrs. Ify Dennis Ofojebe
lamented that the incident was a rape on democracy alleging that her victory is
being denied of her because she is a woman.
She
urged wife of the President Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the
matter, contending that an election which she won was a reflection of the
wishes of Nnewi North people on that election day.
When
reporters visited ANSIEC office in Awka no staff of the commission offered to
speak on the development and as at the time of this report no other
pronouncement has been made by the commission on the after of the election.
The election which was conducted along with other Council areas in the state on the 11th of January 2014 was postponed to 18th January 2014
but the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) cancelled the
exercise alleging insecurity in the area.
According
to release signed by the Acting Chairman of ANSIEC Mr. Sylvester Okonkwo for
cancelling the said election, the body alleged insecurity contending that the
exercise cannot stand.
But the state police command told reporters that there was not report or incidence
of violence in any part of Nnewi North local government area insisting that the
exercise was peaceful, free and fair”.
On the election day proper result sheets for the chairmanship and councillorship
elections were not made available but the booth by booth result sheets signed
by political party agents showed that the Labour Party (LP) chairmanship
candidate Mrs. Ify Dennis Ofojebe scored 8,218 to beat the All progressives
Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate which scored 5,082 vote while the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) scored 1,357 votes
Also
the Labour Party won in eight councillorship wards out of the ten wards while
APGA won two councillorship wards in the said election.
When reporters visited Nnewi North council area yesterday, the Labour Party Campaign Office for its governorship candidate Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, seven police patrol vehicles with heavily armed police men were stationed there in a bid to
averting any form of protest match by party members.
Director of field operations for the Labour Party Barr Benson
Nwosu said that the police prevented them from going on the planned peaceful
protest hence they had to remain at the campaign office displaying placards.
Nwosu further described the actions of ANSIEC as one done in bad taste contending
that those alleging violence or insecurity were only being anti people.
“The election was conducted peacefully. We had 198 polling units in Nnewi North
local government area. Before the election we were at Nnewi North ANSIEC office
where the materials were distributed and carried to the various polling units
and as early as 9:00am the election have started. It was peaceful, there was no
reported violence. You can go round and ask question if there was violence. And
if there was, how many people were arrested by the security personnel. The
election was concluded and various polling agents collected the various pulling
unit results of 198 centers. You can see for your selves. I am holding one now
which is my ward, Nnewi ward I. this is the results and you can see that is on
ANSIEC document, recognized by law. We collected all the polling unit results
and because we were told to come to Nnewi North headquarters so that form EC8A
the one you use to collect results, we did not see any such result sheets. When
we got there, there was nobody except the security people.
“The
ANSIEC officials that we saw said that we are waiting for orders to release the
result sheets to the polling units and we went back to our polling units but
about an hour after I went back there to know if they are coming or not and I
was told that the Electoral Officer (EO) and the rest of ANSIEC officials have
run away to Awka for reasons best known to them.
Also
speaking, the chairmanship candidate of Labour Party Mrs. Ify Dennis Ofojebe
lamented that the incident was a rape on democracy alleging that her victory is
being denied of her because she is a woman.
She
urged wife of the President Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the
matter, contending that an election which she won was a reflection of the
wishes of Nnewi North people on that election day.
When
reporters visited ANSIEC office in Awka no staff of the commission offered to
speak on the development and as at the time of this report no other
pronouncement has been made by the commission on the after of the election.
Source : Daily Independent
Police Take Over Nnewi North Over Local Government Election
![Police Take Over Nnewi North Over Local Government Election]()
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on
Monday, January 20, 2014
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