Low voter turnout marks early hours of Anambra governorship election in Awka

Low voter turnout marks early hours of Anambra governorship election in Awka

Voting commenced slowly across polling units in Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Saturday, as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) awaited increased voter participation in the ongoing governorship election.

At Ward II in Awka South Local Government Area, which comprises four polling units with a total of 1,997 registered voters, observations revealed a sluggish start to the exercise. INEC officials, who arrived at the polling centres by 8 a.m., confirmed that voting materials were available and distribution was smooth.

At Polling Unit 026, the smallest in the ward with 100 registered voters, reports emerged that two voters could not find their names on the register despite claiming to have registered at the unit. INEC officials, however, dismissed the claims as “hearsay.”

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Meanwhile, at Polling Unit 012, with 917 registered voters, the absence of a voting cubicle briefly disrupted the process. INEC officials attributed the issue to “missing parts” of the cubicle and assured that replacements were being arranged.

A monitoring officer from the commission told reporters that voter turnout was “discouraging” as of 8:45 a.m., though he cautioned that it might be too early to draw conclusions.

INEC had earlier disclosed that 2.8 million voters were registered for the Anambra governorship election, with Idemili North and Awka South local government areas recording the highest number of registered voters.

Despite the initial low turnout, election officials expressed optimism that more voters would show up as the day progressed.

Low voter turnout marks early hours of Anambra governorship election in Awka