By Izunna Okafor, Onitsha
Live updates from the venues of the ongoing supplementary election for the Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra State, show that the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who are to conduct and officiate the election, have just arrived centres with the voting materials, after long hours of wait by the electorates.
Visits to the various polling units across the Ogbaru area revealed that some of the registered voters who had exhausted their patience had gone home, while some who went home earlier had returned the second time, before the arrival of the electoral officials, who just drove into the venues just few minutes ago, including the Iyiowa Odekpe ward, where the officials arrived at about 10:27am, against the 8.am scheduled time for commencement of the exercise.
A concerned citizen in the Kala area of the Constituency, Paschal Candle, also told this reporter that the area had been taken over by the officials of the Department of State Service (DSS), who are on ground to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise.
He further hinted that some political thugs had been arrested in the area, following their threats and gallivanting to disrupt the election.
Aside these, further updates revealed that massive vote buying is currently ongoing at many polling units in the area, most especially at Okpoko community, where the moneybags currently buy one at the tune of ₦10,000 (ten thousand).
It was gathered that some voters have smartly collected up to ₦50,000 (fifty thousand naira) each on a rotational basis for their individual votes.
Some of the residents of the community who spoke to 247ureports under the condition of anonymity decried the act as illegal deal, while also calling for more security presence in the area to end the surreptitious fraudulent act.
More details later…
