Low turnout expected to hamper Anambra Supplementary Election.

Despite assurances by the Independent National Electoral Commission that today’s supplementary election in Anambra State will be hitch-free, voters’ apathy may mar the election billed to hold  in  210 polling units in 15 local government areas of the state.

The apathy,stemmed from the disappointment of voters in the last governorship election held penultimate week and the uncertainty surrounding today’s election.

The uncertainty, had also been compounded by calls for  the boycott  of the supplementary election by major parties and candidates that contested the main election on November 16.

Many of the voters in the areas where the election is scheduled to take place today told said that they were not interested in voting and were also confused because of the popular calls for the boycott of the election.

Some of them said it appeared to them that the winner of the election had already been predetermined by INEC and their collaborators, therefore their going to vote would be meaningless.

Three of the major contestants in the election called for the boycott of the election after INEC failed to cancel the entire election, following complaints that the  conduct of the election failed  to conform substantially with the requirements of the Electoral Act.

The three candidates are Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Tony Nwoye of the Peoples Democratic Party and Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Labour Party.

But INEC said it was fully prepared to conduct the election in all the polling units affected in the supplementary election. As at Thursday evening electoral materials had been moved from the INEC headquarters in Awka to the affected local government areas.

The Public Relations Officer of INEC in Awka, Mr. Frank Egbo, said the sensitive materials would  be moved to the Super Registration Areas by Friday night, so that early on Saturday, they would be moved to the polling units in readiness for the election.

But Mr. Frank Obi, a community leader from Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area, said that he doubted if the people would turn out to vote on Saturday.

Obi, who said people in his locality did not vote on November 16, said his people would not turn out to vote because they do not believe that the supplementary election would change anything.

“If there is no cancellation, nothing will change. If INEC has accepted that it made errors in the initial election and has apologised, what remains is for them to throw aside the outcome of that flawed election and conduct a fresh one.

“I am not saying that a certain candidate must win or lose. Anybody who is losing should lose gallantly. We do not accept a situation where it has appeared to us that the vote has been manipulated to favour one candidate from outset and they are only trying to use us to validate and legitimise it,” he said.

Meanwhile, heavy security has been mounted in areas where the governorship supplementary election will take place today in Anambra State.

By Emmanuel Obe