There is voter apathy in most parts of Delta, Rivers and Anambra states at the ongoing gubernatorial election
INEC ad-hoc staff were waiting for eligible voters to come out and vote, unlike the large crowd that trooped out to vote in the presidential election of February 25.
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In Ekalpamre Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, a government official allegedly attacked and inflicted bodily injuries on an eligible voter.
The incumbent Governor of the State, Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial candidate, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, had described the election as peaceful.
#RiversGuber2023: Voter Apathy Threatens Guber Polls In Rivers
In Rivers state, despite concerted plea by virtually all the major governorship candidates for voters to come out en-mass and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice, apathy looks a real threat to the ongoing Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the State.
There are reports of so many empty polling units in Port Harcourt City, Obio Akpor, Eleme, Oyigbo, Etche and Omuma local government areas of the State with some of those units having just a handful of voters.
Unlike during the presidential election where residents came out en-mass to cast their votes the reverse is the case in the ongoing governorship election as many residents seems to be uninterested in the election..
As at 10.22 am, voting did not start at unit 19 ward 5, Elelenwo in Obio/Akpor LGA. Voters came out as early as 7.30 am to cast their votes surprisingly no INEC official was in sight.
Votes feared that the non-availability of the INEC officials might not be unconnected with what they termed massive voting for Labour Party during the last presidential and National Assembly election.
But feelers from other parts of Rivers state like Abonima, in Akukutoro LGA, Andoni in Obobo Nkoro LGA among others show that voting has already commenced.
Anambra State has so far recorded an abysmal turnout of voters.
The current turn out of voters is a far cry from that of the February 25 presidential and national Assembly elections which recorded a massive turn out of voters. .
Polling centres visited in Awka the State capital, showed near empty units as staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC sat idly.
At Mbala Ezi Obinagu polling unit in Awka South Local Government Area that has above one thousand voters, only about fifteen eligible voters were seen lining up to cast their vote at about 9am.
The Independent National Electoral Commission staff members who came on time to attend to voters were this time left to sit under the sun with no canopies provided for them as was done during the presidential election.
At Aroma junction 1, polling unit 008, Awka South Local Government Area, at at 9:20pm, only six persons have been able to vote, despite the commencement of voting at 8:30am, and the swiftness of the BVAS machines.
A voter, Mrs Chika Ndu who spoke to a newspaper said, “People are not coming out because they feel their votes may not count because of what happened last three weeks.
“It will take a level of enlightenment for people to accept to come out, because they believe their votes will not count.
“I cannot believe that this same place where I found it difficult to cast my vote last three weeks, I can just come in and in less than three minutes, I had cast my vote.”