Soludo votes as late arrival of election officials, apathy mar Anambra LG poll

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has voted at his Ofuiyi Square, Pollling Unit 002, Umueze-Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area, in the ongoing Anambra State local council election.

The election is holding 11 years after the last exercise.

The governor said the anticipated victory of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, will be a foretaste of his victory in the Anambra 2025 governorship election, which is expected to hold around November next year.

He also adjudged the ongoing process as being seamless and an example of what an election should be.

Speaking to journalists, Soludo said: “Today is a promise made and promise kept. We are holding the local government election to elect the chairmen of the 21 Local government areas and councillors for the 326 ward.

“From all the calls and feelers that I have gotten from all over the state, everything is going well. The process has been confirmed to be going on very well, in fact superlatively well. We are taking this very very seriously.

“We put in resources, a lot of mobilisations, campaigns in all the 326 wards, because for us this is the grassroots election, the one that will help us get a feel as to how we are doing, and this is like and opinion poll as to what will happen next year, and we are not taking it very lightly.

“We have said it everywhere and to all Anambra people that this will be one good example that is conducted very transparently and creditably.

“You can see all the people here lined up voting peacefully, and it has been the same all over the state. I said to people that votes must be cast openly and transparently and must be counted, one man, one vote.”

Meanwhile, the election seemed to have been marred by poor preparations and slow deployment of materials on the part of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC.

In most polling units, as late as 1:00 pm, electoral officials were yet to arrive polling units. In some others, no election took place at all.

A voter at Odoagba Ward 11, Pollling Unit 1, Mrs Monica Eze lamented that as at 2:00 pm, electoral officials were yet to arrive.

“I’m leaving. I have waited enough. Look at me, over 70 years old and I have been here waiting for hours, and no one is here. At least I have satisfied my conscience that I was truly ready to vote,” she said.

The election was also marred by apathy as most residents of the state lamented that there was lack of awareness. Others said they had no confidence in the electoral body as only APGA was on the ballot