LG poll in Ebonyi records low turnout

The 2013 local government area election held on Saturday in Ebonyi State witnessed a low turnout of voters in the various polling centres across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that elections were concluded in most of the centres before 12 noon, as eligible voters virtually disregarded the exercise.
Majority of those interviewed by NAN attributed the apathy to poor performance of incumbent council leaders and the non-fielding of candidates by opposition parties.
Chief Basil Ofoke, a businessman, said people were unhappy with the performance of the present leaders, which made them lose interest in the process.
“The present leaders were busy erecting structures in Abakaliki and other major towns of the state instead of empowering the people that elected them to serve,” Ofoke said.
Chika Alegu, a teacher, attributed the development to the inability of other political parties to field candidates.
Alegu said: “It is only in Ezza South LGA that the All Progressives Congress fielded a single candidate.
“The election has become a free-run for the People Democratic Party.”
Confirming this assertion, Governor Martin Elechi, who voted at Echialike Ward in Ikwo LGA, said the other parties had no structure to compete with the PDP.
Elechi said: “The election is a one-party affair because only the PDP surmounted the challenges confronting parties in fielding candidates.”
He said that the government had been vindicated in its decision to employ the Option A4 voting system for the election.
He added: “The system will eradicate irregularities such as ballot box snatching, as there would be no boxes for thugs to snatch while the ones snatched cannot be mutilated.
“We have set the pace in conducting free and fair elections at the LGA level and we invite other states to emulate us.”
Chief John Nkwuda, the Chairman, Ebonyi Independent Electoral Commission, said that the commission did all it could to enlighten voters on the exercise.
“We are however impressed by the turnout of voters at the polls as we have not received any report of breach of peace in any area of the state,” Nkwuda said.
Felix Ajah, an Election Observer and an Executive of the Neighbourhood Environment Watch, an NGO, called on EBSIEC to enhance its enlightenment approach to elections.
“The problems, which accounted for this low turnout, should be addressed to ensure that the people become politically active again, especially with the approach of the 2015 general election,” Ajah said.