Heavy downpour, low turnout of voters mar elections in Delta

Voters queque for accredidation

Some voters waiting to be accredited

Jethro Ibileke/Asaba

Some voters waiting to be accredited
Some voters waiting to be accredited

The conduct of the Governorship and State House of Assembly election on Saturday was marred by heavy down pour and low turn of voters in parts of Delta state.

Voters in areas such as Koko, Oghara, Warri, Sapele and Abigborodo, hometown of governor Emmanuel Uduaghan ‎were drenched in the downpour and voting had to be temporarily suspected for close to an hour.

‎Other parts of the state, like Ughelli North and Ethiope East local government areas where the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, home regions of Otega Emerhor and Ovedje Ogboru of Labour Party respectively, however witnessed impressive turnout of voters.

Large turn was also reported to be impressive in Agbor, the administrative headquarters of Ika North-East local government home area of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa.

It was also reported that eligible voters defied early morning rainfall in large numbers in Agbor and Ughelli North local government to cast votes for their preferred party and candidates.

Tremendous improvement was observed in the governorship election over the 28 March Presidential and National Assembly elections as electoral materials arrived at most polling units as early as 8 am while accreditation of eligible voters commenced as at about 8:30am across the 25 local government areas in the state, just as card readers were used without hitches.

Cases of snatching of electoral materials were reported in Ndokwa East local government area by suspected political thugs.

PDP governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, who voted by 1 pm at his polling unit, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the improvement in card reader.

Okowa also commended the electorate in the locality for coming out en-masse in spite of the heavy downpour as well as their peaceful conduct.

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The APC governorship candidate, Otega Emerhor who also voted at about 1 pm, commended INEC for the improvement in card readers and appealed that the improvement should be total in all the voting units in the state.

Speaking with journalists at Abigborodo in Warri North local government area shortly after he cast his ballot, governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan described the improvement in the card readers in the state as a good development.

Uduaghan who disclosed that there were reported isolated cases of partial malfunctioning of card readers however expressed happiness that the state has at last joined States where violent-free elections are recorded.

Meanwhile, supporters of PDP and APC were said to have engaged in free-for all over the alleged thumbing printing of ballot papers by PDP members at Otibio Unit in Ofagbe, Isoko north local government area of the state.‎

The ensuing melee allegedly left four persons in various degrees of injuries and we’re taken to undisclosed places for treatment.

Troubled was said to have started when the PDP supporters allegedly attempted to dump the already thumbprinted ballot papers into the ballot box.

The development was said to have infuriated APC supporters who insisted that they will never allowed the thumb printed materials to be dumped inside the ballot box.

It was alleged that policemen however aided the PDP supporters to an unknown destination probably to perfect their political plan.

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