The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended voting in the Anambra governorship poll to Sunday, to allow voters who were not able to vote due to malfunctioning of the Bimodal Accreditation System (BVAS) to vote.
Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) disclosed this at a news briefing held in the INEC headquarters, Awka on Saturday.
He said that the measure became necessary to enable more if not all, eligible voters to cast their votes in the areas affected by the malfunctioning of the system.
He said that the BVAS malfunctioned because of software glitches.
Nkwachukwu said that the commission was already working to rectify the problem.
“In line with existing regulations and guidelines of the Commission, any intending voter who is on the queue by 4.00 pm shall be allowed to vote.
“The extension of time arose out of several field reports that voters have had problems with accreditation.
” The Commission is currently investigating the reason the accreditation devices, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), have worked perfectly in some Polling Units, but not in others.
“In cases of malfunction of the BVAS, the Presiding Officer must inform the voters and polling agents that accreditation and voting shall continue tomorrow or at another time determined by the Commission,” he said.
He also noted that deployment was adversely affected by transportation challenges in some locations.
“It must be noted that on account of security concerns, some of the transporters that were mobilized and collected 50 per cent of their sign-on fee backed out at the last moment, leaving some of our ad-hoc staff stranded.
“Also, some of the trained ad-hoc staff backed out at the last moment. The Commission is on top of these challenges and extant regulations and guidelines will be applied,” he said.
The INEC official appealed to all voters, candidates, stakeholders and political parties to remain calm and law-abiding.
“We assure you that the commission is determined to make all votes count,” he said.
Meanwhile, early results in the Anambra governorship election show that the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chukwuma Soludo, is building up a huge lead.
He is being trailed by the candidates of All Progressives Congress(APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Results from Idemili and Njikoka LGAs paint this trend.
By 6.30 P.M. results of 871 out of 5720 polling units where voting took place have been uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In Njikoka LGA in the polling unit at Abba Town Hall II, APGA got 26 of the 47 votes cast.
APC and PDP got 6 votes each, YPP 5 and APM 1.
In Obeagu Uruogbe Hall I under Enugwu Ukwu Ward I, 124 valid votes were cast. APGA swept away 84 votes. APC got 10, PDP 26, LP1, SDP 1.
The result in Ire Village Hall, where only 150 of the 928 registered voters voted, followed same pattern.
While APGA got 89 votes, APC won 39, PDP 7.SDP and YPP scored two votes each. Labour Party got four votes, A got 1, AAC i and ADP 1.
Early results from Idemili South LGA showed that many voters shunned the election.
In Polling Unit Nkwo Ide Public Square 1 under Alor I ward, APC and APGA scored 20 votes each out of the 55 ballots cast at the unit. PDP got six votes, YPP five, A one, ADP 1 and LP 2.
In Polling unit at Public Square V, APC got 8 votes out of the total votes of 22 recorded.
APGA and PDP got five votes each, YPP 2, SDP 1 and LP 1.
At Nkwo Ide Public Square III polling unit, APGA won 17 votes, APC 12, PDP 6 and YPP 4.
Only 39 votes were cast at the unit.
At Polling unit Public Square IV, APC got 13 votes out of 26, APGA 6, PDP 3, YPP 3, LP1.
Some of the results at polling units in Njikoka LGA:
Akaiyi Village Hall 1
Orabuike Central School
Umuaturu Ward
Uruokwe Village Square II
Some other results:
PU 14, Uruagu Primary School
Ward: Umunze II
LG: Orumba South
APC: 11
PDP: 5
APM: 5
APGA:
YPP:
AAP:
SDP:
LP:
ADP:
PRP:
AAC:
Void votes: Nil
Number of valid votes: 21
Number of registered voters: 290
PU: PU 12, Uruagu Primary School
Ward: Umunze II
LG: Orumba South
ELECTION RESULT
APC: 24
PDP: 9
APGA: 11
YPP: 2
AAP:
SDP:
LP:
ADP:
PRP:
AAC:
Number of valid votes: 46
Number of registered voters: 506
PU: 005 WARD: Ajalli 1
LG: Orumba North
APC- 16
APGA- 17
PDP- 16
YPP-6
SDP-1
ZLP-0
Number of registered voters: 483
Accredited voters: 62
Invalid: 4
Valid votes: 58
PU: 010 Social Center
WARD: 005 Amesi( Polling unit of Valentine Ozigbo of PDP)
LG: Aguata LGA
APC- 2
APGA- 8
PDP- 75
Labour- 1
Accord- 1
Aguata LGA, Uga Ward 1, PU 017 (polling unit of Andy Uba of APC)
APC – 80
APGA — 10
YPP — 5
PDP — 2
AAC — 1
LP — 1
SDP —1
Accord — 2
Invalid votes —3
Registered voters — 565
Total votes cast — 106
Aguata LGA, Uga Ward 1, PU 018
APC – 76
APGA — 10
YPP — 1
PDP — 3
ZNP — 1
Invalid votes —2
Registered voters — 509
Total vote cast — 95
Polling Unit: 002, Udeke Primary school, Ward: Abagana 1 LGA: Njikoka
Registered: 626
Accredited: 127
Accord: 1
YPP: 8
APGA: 45
LP: 9
PDP: 10
APC: 49
ADP: 1
Void: 6
APC and their hatchet job operatives together with teams of different military personnel have concluded plans to start distribution of the results of the election written in favour of Andy Uba. They are to ferry these results across the various local government areas with the view of smuggling them into collation centers.
In other news, sources have it that APGA, PDP, YPP and others have decided to unite to make sure APC does not make Anambra.
“APC and their hatchet job operatives together with teams of different military personnel have concluded plans to start distribution of the results of the election written in favour of Andy Uba. They are to ferry these results across the various local government areas with the view of smuggling them into collation centers.” One said.
