Politics

THE Saturday’s Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers State was reportedly marred partly with voter apathy.

Empty polling booths were recorded in Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas, while poor voter turnout was recorded in other LGAs of the state.

The turn-up of voters for the governorship election was nothing to compare with presidential and national assembly polls in the state as zealous voter trooped our en masse for the later.

Also, on the February 25th polls, voters were early to the polling units while the Electoral Officers arrived late, but on the March 18th elections, EO came to the units early, while the less voters came to cast their votes late.

Although, Thursday, there were reports that town-cries had allegedly gone round some communities in the state announcing that any voter that would not vote for a particular political party in the state should not come near the poling units on the election day.

While the polls were on, most residents went about their businesses. Shops were opened secretly in most parts of Port Harcourt, while youths took to the majors road for their soccer games.

However, residents and politicians in the state agreed that the development was because voters lost interest in the governorship and state house assembly elections.

Speaking, one of the youths Kelvin Kpobia who was seen at his business place said the reason he did not go for the exercise was because he lost interest in the polls.

Kpobia said: “Because of the last election, February 25th, what happened. We have lost interest in the INEC and Nigeria politics. This is the reason I am not at my polling unit. I am not going to vote.

“If I vote I am very sure that my vote will not count. I am saying this because of what we saw on the 25th February. This election will not be different. I know, in the last election we came out en masse to vote but at the end of the day, the result that we had was not what we voted.”

Also, Wosu Precious said: “From my one observation, is because of what happened in the last election. Last time before INEC people came voters were already here. We helped them to set up their things. But at last the results
was different from what we voted.

“We don’t have interest in voting again. This is 9:00, nobody has come here. No accreditation while the INEC personnel have been here since.”(vanguard)

A.

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