Enugu Voters Protest Missing Result Sheets

There is tension in the Imufu community in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State as voters protest against missing election results in five polling units that have over 6,000 voters.

Reports from The PUNCH highlight a palpable sense of anticipation mixed with frustration among the electorate due to delayed electoral materials and missing results sheets in key polling units.

Despite repeated assurances by the Independent National Electoral Commission of its readiness to conduct today’s re-run elections, as of 10:30 am, materials were yet to arrive in several polling units in the state.

Despite arriving late in many polling units, INEC polling officers came without results sheets, especially in polling units that have a large number of voters.

The affected polling units in Umuitodo Ward 3 where election results sheets are missing are Polling Unit 010 in Okpaligbo, Polling Units 003, 004, and 005 Central Primary School Imufu, Polling Unit, and Umu-Osia polling unit.

The chairman of the local government, William Itodo, is a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, and he lost his polling unit to the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections.

Speaking with our correspondent, a community leader, Emeka Madu, said,
“My people are currently revolting, and they have resolved not to vote until the results sheets are provided. The police arrested POs and took them to their stations to question them about the missing results sheets for the polling units.

“In Umu-Osia, like in Imufu, the people said that they are not voting until INEC officials provide result sheets. The electorate are not voting because they said the INEC came without results sheets. At the CPS Imufu, police arrested INEC polling officers and took them to their stations to know why they came without results sheets.As we speak, election has not started.”

On Friday, INEC said it was over 95 per cent ready to conduct hitch-free re-run elections in two constituencies within Enugu State as ordered by the Court of Appeal.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Chukwu, told journalists on Friday in Enugu that the commission had deployed over 700 staff and ad hoc staff, as well as 700 armed security men, for the re-run.